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The days are getting shorter. Ads for notebooks and backpacks are showing up in my inbox. Amazon sent me a personal invitation into their #2 pencil emporium. The frenzy of summer is coming to a close and a whole different frenzy is about to begin.

It’s the start of the School Year.

Nooooooo! My children cry in horror, seeing a crisp, new notebook peeking out of our shopping bag.

For some of us this is old hat. We’ve been there. Done that. Got the t-shirt.

For others, this is the first time you are sending your precious babies out into the cold, cruel world of school.

As a mom of 9 and 12 year old boys and the Director of Admission of a preschool, I’ve seen this day from many different sides and angles. Here are 5 bits of wisdom that we, the teachers and school staff, would like every parent to know irrespective of whether this is your first ever first-day-of-school, or you are a practiced veteran.

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Many times I’ve looked over at the mom with the quiet well-mannered kids and wondered, “Am I the only one who’s a mess? Why does every other mother seem to have it together?”

As a freelance writer with ten years of experience and counseling psychology graduate degree, I knew how to listen and be empathetic.

But all I knew about “parenting strategies” consisted of time out tactics and the “children should be seen and not heard” mindset I had been raised in.

After spending much of 2017 researching parenting techniques, I gleaned an alternative, which was less about discipline and more about connection. Surprisingly, I learned it’s not getting your kids to listen, but it’s improving your relationship that turns out to be the winning strategy.

However, even though I am a stay-at-home mom now, I worry about how much quality time I’m spending with my son. So that became my next quest.

Here are the 9 things I learned about improving my connection with kids.

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When my children were toddlers, I wanted them to be empathetic and compassionate – to be able to see the world through others’ eyes and to turn that ability into action if help was needed.

I wanted to raise the anti-bully!

And not only did I want an anti-bully, I wanted to raise kids who stood up for the bullied, and also understood the plight of the bully.

I knew I wanted to raise empathetic and compassionate kids; I just didn’t know how to do it.

As it happens, life threw me a curve ball when my kids were five and six years old, ensuring that they would learn empathy right in their own living room.

I had what was supposed to be routine surgery. Fast-forward two months, a host of complications, a few ER visits, and a second surgery later, and I emerged as this: a woman with a painful disability caused by permanent muscle, nerve, and organ damage.

Suddenly, I had to learn to keep myself alive while taking care of my children and managing the day-to-day changes in my life. In those first hectic months, I couldn’t focus on empathy, couldn’t actively try to raise two crusaders for kindness.

It turns out that my children did not forget. Faced with a parent who struggled every day with simple tasks, my children watched and learned.

They learned when they could help. And when to step back. And when to bring me one of their stuffed animals and a hug.

They learned how to walk the tightrope of being sympathetic without being overwhelmed, something that can be hard for children and adults alike.

By watching me struggle, they learned empathy and compassion.

While our situation was unique, what I learned can help you teach your own children how to build empathy.

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A few years ago, my family and I were preparing for a big event honoring my oldest son.

I had carefully created invitations, prepared a program, and cooked a celebration meal. I took the time to buy a new outfit, including shiny new shoes for my son to wear. It was poised to be a wonderful day with our family and closest friends.

And then it was time to get dressed.

My son flatly refused to wear the shoes I picked out for him.

I first tried to bargain with him; “you only have to wear them for one hour and then you can come home and change.” That was met with a flat, “No.”

Then I tried to bribe, “If you wear these shoes, then you can have treat.” That didn’t work either.

I tried pleading, “Please, wear these shoes. Please just wear them. For me… please, please.”

When that fell flat, I played my final card. It was time for a mommy tantrum.

For those of you unfamiliar with a mommy tantrum, it usually occurs when said mommy does not get her way. Her unyielding child ignites a fuse in a firecracker of negative emotion.

Mid-mommy tantrum, I was fuming down the hall when my husband caught me and said, “Don’t let a pair of shoes ruin this day for you.”

Suddenly, my fuse went out. He was right. I was letting a pair of shoes that would look nice in a picture become more important than my child’s big day.

While reading this, memories of similar power struggles you have had with your children may have come flooding back. We have all been in this position. But one powerful truth will help reduce the stress that comes from power struggles.

It is this: not all parenting battles are worth fighting.

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You do everything you can to make sure your child has a positive inner voice.

You praise her at all the right times using the right kind of praise. You tell her you love her and are proud of her every day. You nurture her endeavors and give her encouragement along the way.

Despite all that, one day she declares, “I’m no good, so why bother trying?”

Your heart sinks. Could all of your efforts evaporate in a single instance?  What went wrong?

When my daughter was born, the one gift I wanted to give her was a strong self-esteem. It is important to me as a woman and a parent. It took me years to build mine. I remember how painful it was during my childhood to never feel relaxed, calm, and confident, to be plagued with self-doubt.

I wanted so much to protect my daughter from the corrosive, universal effects of low self-esteem and a negative inner voice.

I thought I was well-prepared. My son was eleven-years-old when we welcomed my little girl into the world. He’s nineteen now and has always been a relatively calm, happy person.

When problems did arise, we were able to guide him through them. He is a strong, happy individual who is following his dreams and is beginning a business in producing a line of custom electric guitars and bases.

So, when my daughter was born, I thought, we’ve got this. Plus, my husband and I are in the mental health field and we’re older parents. We worked out a lot of our own issues. We know the importance of a positive inner voice and devote ourselves to supporting our children and each other.

As my daughter grows though, so does my concern. [Read more…]