Musings Archives - Page 9 of 14

Anarchy in the Elementary School Car Line

November 13, 2013 · 1 Comment

Recently while waiting in the elementary school car line I found myself pondering what I consider to be nothing less than anarchy taking place right in front of me and what that means to the children of the anarchist parents.

Ok. That may be a bit dramatic but here’s the thing, if you’re unable to successfully navigate the rules of the car line I honestly question your ability to raise a child who’s able to successfully navigate the big wide world on their own.

Going Rogue

The signs (there are several) clearly indicate to pull up so that long line of cars behind you can also pull up and not stick out in the road – blocking traffic and disrupting the commute of all the rule-abiding people who’re on their way to jobs, Starbucks, or yoga. Or maybe back to bed.

So, when you decide that your little person can’t manage to walk the additional 50 feet from the designated drop off spot to the school entrance you create a cascade of problems. Problems ranging from messing with my blood pressure to creating a generation of entitled children who don’t know the meaning of resilience.

There are a few parents (mostly just me) that wait for the rogues to let their precious cargo out at the front entrance and pull up to the designated spot. Part of that is I want to set a good example for not only my daughter but for other parents who may not have completely committed to the rogue lifestyle. But mostly it’s because my kid is an even bigger rule follower than I am and wouldn’t get out of the car early even if I wanted her to. This may also be affecting my blood pressure.

Car Line Lessons

Seriously, what does this behavior teach your kids? The rules don’t apply to you or them? They’re too delicate to walk those extra 50 feet? That they (you) are more important than the 40 other families behind you?

We’re not talking about a once in a while behavior. This is every single school day. What other rules of civil behavior are these anarchists teaching their children? Parking in the designated handicap spots at Chuck E. Cheese?

I bet these parents also value all those participatory trophies that permeate elementary sports. I bet they’re the ones who are on Facebook saying how proud they are of their kids because they won some random contest that required no effort. I bet (know) these are the parents who don’t understand why I always pull up to where I’m supposed to, always make my kid walk the extra 50 feet, and could care less about a trophy that means absolutely nothing.

When you routinely disregard rules about something as simple as a car line you rob your child of knowing that walking 50 feet, even in the rain, is no big deal. They also may learn just a little bit about grit, resilience and respect for others.

I’m talking to you dark blue Toyota Highlander. I bet your kids end up living in your basement. Forever. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Car make and model has been changed to protect the guilty. And me.

Filed Under: Musings Tagged: character, parenting, Resilience, school

Organization and the Gifted Child

May 30, 2013 · Leave a Comment

“Constantly late for school, losing his books, and papers and various other things into which I need not enter – he is so regular in his irregularity in every way that I don’t know what to do.” – Winston Churchill’s Principal

Sound familiar? A common trait in gifted children is asynchronous development which can affect their executive functioning skills. Big words, huh?

Translation – gifted kids can be incredibly unorganized. They may be able to recall the license plate numbers of the neighbors (future stalker skills?) or remember the author of every book she’s read (wish I could) but are seemingly incapable of keeping track of shoes.

Or homework.

Or hairbrushes.

Or permission slips.

You get the idea.

Over the past several months we’ve worked diligently on developing strategies to help our daughter get her organized groove on. I know this will be an ongoing process for all of us, as evidenced by my Organizational Dreams board on Pinterest, but here’s where we’ve got so far.

Create a Schedule

We have our weekly routine but each weekend we look to the coming week to be sure we take account of any special circumstances. And there are always special circumstances. Looming homework projects require additional time. Testing for martial arts may mean missing a play date. We simply make adjustments and get them on the schedule. Simply talking through the coming activities relieves a lot of stress. A lot.

Set Priorities

Stuff happens and you have to know what’s most important to you and your child or there’s the potential to just freak out over everything. Better prioritizing my life has been one of the best gifts I’ve ever given myself and I’m trying to pass this along to my daughter. Everyone needs to learn that it’s ok to say NO.

Control Distractions

This was a big one. I loved the idea of my daughter doing homework at the dining room table while I was nearby making an amazing meal and available to give her guidance and answer questions. We’d bond over food and books – two of my favorite things.

That was a recipe for a hot mess.

She was distracted by everything but mostly by the smoke alarms that seem to go off when I’m in the kitchen.

So at the beginning of the last school year she got a desk in her room. Seems like a no-brainer but her room is pretty small. What a difference. No more nagging (from me) and no more staring into space (usually from her). Homework’s completed peacefully and on time. Usually.

Simple ideas but the secret always lies in successful execution. That means consistency and adapting when needed. So far it’s working for us.

My fingers are crossed.

How do you keep your kids organized? Tell us in the comments.