Six years ago, I remember my kids coming from school used to talk excitedly about new facts in Science or Makabayan. Ask them now how their day is in school and you get an “uhmm...ok lang”.
It seems that school for them is a tough place to be nowadays. It’s a big headache to tutor them these days. Distractions and stubbornness are two of the things to battle with when tutoring them. No matter how many times I explain things to them, my kids won’t listen and would insist on doing their things their way.
I believe most parents like me know this situation all too well. Parent-children tandem work hard to complete homework assignments. Sometimes we end up nagging or in frustration.
As an adult, I know there’s much more to life than school. I know that success and self-esteem have little to do with grade-point averages. But school is school. This is where our children get most of the information and knowledge that will shape their thinking, hopefully good character, too. Our kids are equipped with the essential skills they will need to move on to the next stage of their lives, whatever that stage may be.
I have to reevaluate. My kids do not clearly excel at school as they used to in the preschool and primary level. Is it the academic demands? Is learning stressful and competitive now? Or is it the new trend and high-tech world? Maybe there are things I have neglected to reinforce early on. Or maybe I am looking at what everyone else’s kids is achieving, rather than focusing on my own kids.
Whatever the reasons maybe, a mother needs to understand her kids’ strengths, weaknesses, and interests better than anyone. I will continue to guide them and encourage them not to excel but to be at their best. I will help them to gain some perspective, and a self-esteem boost...even beyond the school walls.
It is a challenge and a struggle both for me and my kids. Never give up. Always pray.Better have a headache than heartache.
by Nini SanAndres
June 26, 2010
