No mission is impossible

"Going on a lion hunt, but I’m not afraid!"

Children love this little song.  They gaze up at their teacher and repeat right after her, “Cause I’ve got my gun and bullets at my waist!”

They copy the words and the cadence and every move she makes.  It’s a powerful lesson into how children learn.

Parents need to keep this in mind.  Everything they say and do, from the merest of expressions fleeting across their face, to the tirades that fall from their lips when they are angry, justifiably or otherwise, teach their child how to be.

It is important to be cognizant of this, but it is also important to be real because children sense the difference.  Two sided faces are both confusing and frightening. 

I have to be what I say I am if I want my child to get the most benefit out of me being their parent.  So I admit, I’m a little afraid of lion hunts.  Lions have sharp claws and big teeth!  But this one is just pretend, we all know that.

School is the real adventure!  New clothes and special crayons are nice, but they will become used and forgotten in no time.  As children cross the bridge between home and school they need to know that both their parents and their teachers are working together to give them the skills they will need for the rest of their life.

Parents can’t assume the school can do the job alone.  A good education is inclusive.  Children should be encouraged to read and do their own homework, because that is how they learn.  Parents need to be available to help guide them in the right direction, but not to do it for them.

A grade on a sheet of paper means nothing if it doesn’t translate into real knowledge.

A parent’s job, should they choose to accept it?  Is to be the guide a child can follow on this great adventure.  They don’t need a gun and bullets at their waist, but they do need to learn cooperation, perseverance and how useful a good education can be.