Aug 12 2008
Total Kids Tuesday
With school approaching faster then I could of imagined we have begun making plans for the first day. I only have one child in school right now which is definitely fine by me! My son will be starting the sixth grade and that thought alone scares me to death. I know he’s going to go through a lot of changes this year, confusion, and aggravation from everywhere he turns. I remember how fitting in with the other kids seemed to become a real issue in the sixth grade which makes me wonder how my son is going to handle the peer pressure versus his knowledge of right from wrong. It’s a scary thought but I knew walking into this whole mother deal that this would be one of the many challenges we’d take together and all I can really do is pray that my baby will listen to his inner voice and follow the right path. If he isn’t in touch with that whole inner voice I hope he hears my voice telling him how I’m going to kill him if he messes up.
Ok so I wouldn’t really kill him of course but exactly where do you go with kids during this time? What do you do to keep them on the right track? As parents we sometimes forget how things were growing up, how hard it was to fit in and the things you would do just to impress other people. Talking to the kids isn’t enough any more it basically goes in one ear and out the other, so where do we go from here? Is this just something that we have to let go of in hopes that the right choices are made or that at least they learn a good lesson from the bad ones? I hate to say that when I think about allowing my son to make his own choices I’m not real sure I’ve pushed the right ones on him enough for him to know how important it is not to take the wrong path. So if he were to decide to do drugs, drink, smoke, or cut class all the time would that be a reflection on how I am as a parent? Does that mean I have failed my son in one way or the other?
I’d like to think that I’ve done the best I can as a mother, a role model, and a friend to my son. I think he’ll make the right decisions, maybe not always but most of the time. I believe when he fails at something or chooses the wrong path he trusts me and our relationship enough to know that he can talk to me about it. As a mom I know that even at eleven years old he sometimes still needs to be hugged and held, I trust that the moments like those will be what keeps him wanting me to be proud of him and in return keeps him on the right path and being proud of himself.
So as the school year starts and my now young man begins his venture on an upgraded level of life I have faith that everything will be just fine. I believe in my son and hope that you will also believe in your kids as they start their first day of school this year. Just remember how hard it is to be their age, the issues they are now facing and trust that you have shown them how much you’ll love them no matter what.
