Crying in the Wilderness

Yes, it’s the time of the year again.

 All Super Moms

Shake off summer breeze, fold your summer night dreams and tuck them so deep beneath your neck-support pillow, sharpen your super senses, plan a new tight budget, plan a new tight daily activities schedule (everyone’s activities but yours, you know better by now), buckle in your safety belt, recite a daily prayer for strength and mercy, then get set and ready for a new school year.

Remember the old days (very old days) where children actually learned something in school.  Mothers’ responsibility was to make sure children did their homework in the privacy of their rooms, oversee their progress and offer assistance in case something slipped off their mind while they were in class. Yes, the good old days. Now mothers are required under the doomed parental obligation before God and Society to act as if their children had never step a foot in class, and carry the heavy reliability of securing their children's future, thus becoming their teachers too.

The most challenging task is with children within age group (6 – 9). It’s the most crucial age group through which a child acquires their basic learning skills and habits. It’s the age in which children’s nervous system and body muscles are still taking their shape and build up their strength. And most important of all, it’s the age where they build up their self-esteem and confidence among their peers and before intimidating teachers. Because of children’s vulnerability at such age, they are the most challenging to teach, and the most desperately in need for your love and patience during the in-house teaching process.

Painful or Productive, the tone of teaching sessions depends entirely on you, the mother . So in order to get the best results, you need to have a plan with the main goal set and the right techniques followed. The key word when setting your goal for your child is skills not information. Have in mind that the success of any learning process depends on four basic skills (reading, writing, basic math and analytical thinking). If your child acquires good practice of the four by the age of ten, then you have achieved your goal and you can set him free to manage his learning process in school and seek knowledge independently from you, but still under your guidance. Following the right technique is the part of plan that would require your ultimate patience for it depends on try and error. If you have more than one child then you already know that learning methods vary among children, even those who shared your womb. So give yourself and your child a chance to experiment different teaching techniques with different teaching aids (visual, audio, verbal).  Look for teaching resources in bookstores and internet then mold your own way of teaching. And always remember to add elements of fun into your teaching methods, it would turn a heavy task into a quality mom-kid time.

  The goal is set and the technique is decided, but still there’s the pressure of playing the game, of holding your child too close to your heart and running through a field of gigantic obstacles ( bullying , abuse , learning difficulties , indifferent teachers and falling education system )  and get him to the finish line safe and sound. Have in mind while running the field you’re not alone in this, seek support from other mothers, whether among your local community or the world community via the internet.  They’re all running the field too and know exactly how you feel, and they’ll share their wisdom with you, no lectures and no judgments. It’s very important to surround yourself with a supporting system for there will come times when you feel helpless, and you’re probably going to blow some of that building up steam on your child. If it happens, then it’s O.K, (as long as it doesn’t involve physical abuse). Don’t sink your spirit down the guilt hole. Give yourself a break, and give your child a chance. Break down the cycle of having a bad day for both of you, and give yourself and your child a well-deserved treat. Kiss him and he’ll forgive you. Go for an ice cream or movies or riding bikes in the park, and turn that supposed to be a bad day into cherished memory for both of you. Always remember, showing your love to your child and sharing happy times with him surpasses teaching him the wisdom of the entire world.  

Yes, it’s a tremendous responsibility; the spiritual, physical and mental exhaustion level goes beyond acceptable for any sane person. The fact remains that school system desperately needs major reforms and a spark of inspiration with a touch of appreciation for the role of teachers (the good ones); and the fact remains that waiting for such reforms to happen is as fruitful as crying loud in a wilderness full of people wearing tight suits who are actually listening, but none give a damn!  It’s up to you dear super mom to hold your child’s hand and lead him across the wilderness, all the way through

 to the Promised Land.