Clean Slates and Fresh Starts
Hope, excitement and anxiety all wrapped up in fresh haircuts and new clothes. Pens, pencils and notebooks, the smell of a new box of crayons and a brand new book; it all speaks of such promise.
It's the first week of school and everyone starts with an "A". Children are on their best behavior as they cautiously gauge their new surrounding. But once those first days fade and familiarity takes shape, the playing ground is no longer even. A pecking order becomes evident as cliques form and personalities emerge. And it is this pecking order that can make children unintentionally cruel to each other.
If I could bottle up a time, it would be the first week of school. Every child, for at least those first few days, has a new beginning, a fresh start and is on his or her best behavior. If I could capture the essence that lingers in the air and label it "open when necessary," it would be an invaluable gift.
It is easy to overlook the suffering of others, especially when maturity and compassion have not yet developed. But as an adult, if you knew your child was taunting and teasing another classmate, would you ignore the situation and chalk it up to "kids will be kids," or take the time to correct the situation?
Maybe the little girl in the front row can't concentrate on her schoolwork because her parents are fighting. And the boy in the corner is withdrawn and tired because he spends his nights taking care of an alcoholic parent. Or maybe the overweight girl they laugh at is using food to bury her secrets and sorrows.
Although the harsh realities of social injustice are too heavy for a young child to comprehend, it is never too early to encourage empathy and compassion. If your child is quick to tease or judge, remind him that making fun of others is never cool. Ask him to put himself in the other child's shoes and just try to imagine how it would feel if someone made fun of him.
Remind your child about the first day of school when the slate was clean and everyone started with an "A". And encourage him to reach out and give his classmate another chance as if he held a magical bottle marked "open when necessary" filled with fresh starts and good behavior.
About The Author
Patricia Gatto and John De Angelis are the authors of MILTON'S DILEMMA, the tale of a lonely boy's magical journey to friendship and self-acceptance. As advocates for literacy and children's rights, the authors speak at schools and community events to foster awareness and provide children with a safe and healthy learning environment. For more information, please visit Joyful Productions at http://www.joyfulproductions.com
pgatto@ptd.net
MORE RESOURCES:
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Parenting Your Teenager: 6 Things to Stop Doing Right Away
1. STOP focusing on what you are going to make your teen-ager doIt doesn't work.
Discipline on My Mind
I look out of the window as I am writing this. It is home time and mums are collecting their children from the local primary school.
Real Monsters Under Your Bed
There may really be a real monster under your kidâ??s bed!Seriously, they could actually be there!If you are a parent you have heard about monsters under the bed
and in the closet. There was even a movie about Monsters coming
into kidâ??s bedrooms through the closet.
Dads - What Family Legacy Are You Passing On to Your Children?
Do you want to create a deeper, more loving relationship with your child?To begin, you can learn from your own father:Whether you consider him to have been a good father or not, you can use your experience to become a better parent to YOUR children.Patterns of behavior are often passed on unconsciously from one generation to the next.
3 Rules to Making TeensTechnology Work For You
Isn't the technology of today is amazing?! Between the speed of Instant Messengers~ or IM'ing, the convince of cell phones, parenting has come a long way from when parents had to make three or four phone calls to track down their TWeen for the simplest request "Bring home some milk?"
to the infamous, "Your late, couldn't you have called?"These scenario's from not so long ago have all but died out with today's many wireless communication devices. No sooner does a new device come out,our kids seem to have it down These mini-adults who can't seem to remember to take out the trash or keep their rooms clean, yet have the intelligence and focus to create secret languages and codes around these devices.
Breastfeeding, Its My Right
My name is Duncan and I'm 2 years old. I want to thank my Mommy and Daddy for choosing breastmilk as my only food for my first six months.
Watch What You Say
"Now don't you go getting any ideas, Harold.""Don't you get any ideas either, Terry.
How to Deal with Your Child's Inappropriate Behaviour
Children bombard parents with many challenging behaviours. We are delighted if their behaviour is mostly positive.
Childrens Safety in Public Places - 10 Useful Tips
My kids ask me all the time to take them to playgrounds or any other public place. I can't help to think that the risk involved in this is greater than we are often aware of.
Diet Sodas And How They Can Affect Kids
Many of us have grown up drinking caffeinated diet sodas as an alternative to sugary regular sodas. We figure this is a better choice rather than loading our and our children's bodies with large quantities of sugar.
The Importance of Mothers
Moms, did you ever question your value as a role model, caretaker, administer of hugs and Band-Aids? I think we all have in today's climate of "do more, get more, have more." Many of us work to bring home a paycheck and others work for our sanity.
The Secret of Understanding Children
It was a day that I will forever be etched into my being. My husband was out of town visiting his mother and I was parenting my two extraordinary children solo.
Mothers Day Tribute
As Mother's Day approaches I would like to give a different perspective to ponder.Being a parent and a mother are not necessarily the same.
How You Can Help Your Child To Be An Avid Reader
Reading is the most efficient and economical way to help anyone
to acquire information, knowledge, skills and improve on one
self. And it is most wonderful to help your child to be a
great reader as young as possible.
Book Review: How to Get Your Child to Love Reading
How to Get Your Child to Love Reading was conceived when author Esmé Raji Codell was staring at a shriveled potato that was sprouting eyes. She wondered, " .
Top Three Reasons To Get Involved At Your Childs School
You may think once your child has gone off to school full-time (officially a First-Grader) that he/she no longer needs you..
When A Parent Is Deployed
When a parent is deployed with the military it can be very traumatic for the children left behind. Having things for them
to do, that makes them feel a part of the family and helping the parent who is gone, is really important.
Child Safety at Home
Maintaining a safe home environment for your childrenAs adults and parents we are responsible for all the aspects of child safety at home and the importance of following child safety tips to improve the area cannot be emphasised enough! Accidents occurring where child safety at home is weak can have lasting effects and include burns, scarring, irrational fears, blindness and even death! Child safety at home is relatively easy to enforce, once we as parents and caregivers understand and apply some basic child safety tips.Children are unique and precious individuals and when it relates to child safety at home, everything should be done to create a safe space where they can grow up.
Parenting Your Teenager: Ask Questions
Many parents seem to be more than a little confused about what they have a right to know about their teens.The question I often get goes something like this:"We want to know where our 16-year-old son is going to be, and who he is with.
What Do Chinese Water Torture and Arguing with Children Have in Common?
Imagine yourself lying flat on your back, totally strapped down onto a cold, hard table, unable to move any part of your body. You can't see anything around you because your eyes are covered.
|