As a teacher, occasionally I get parents that ask for advice. I, not having children, feel extremely qualified in dispensing as much advice as possible because I am clearly qualified. I have said things to parents (and a few strangers) like the following:
-Read everyday with your child and let them see you enjoying reading.
-Don't put a TV in their bedrooms, that is asking for troublesome bedtimes and tired kids.
-You're the parent! Not their friend! You get to be the boss!
-Double check their backpack, they might be lying about not having homework.
-Talk to your kid, that is the most powerful thing you can do for her right now.
-Control your child in a restaurant, no one likes to eat with animals.
All of these pieces of advice were well-warranted, even if they were not always asked for. Ok...the last one was definitely not asked for, but it was also definitely well-warranted.
This is the best piece of advice I can give parents, teachers, aunties, grandparents, anyone really who works with children.
"Listen earnestly to anything your children want to tell you, no matter what. If you do not listen eagerly to the little stuff when they are little, they won't tell you the big stuff when they are big, because to them all of it has been big stuff." -C. Wallace.
I say this to myself most of all. I get so trapped in what needs to get done that I often half listen or just nod when my students tell me about their loose tooth, their shoe that has a floppy sole, the rock they found at recess that looks like a president, the plans they have for their birthday that is 11 months and 3 weeks away, and a million other things that seem inconsequential at best and straight up annoying at worst.
How do I expect the next generation to be more thoughtful, reflective, genuine and interested in the world around them, when I am none of those things in my dealings with them?
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