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August 27, 2004
She is a precious
little girl posing for the camera with lunch box in hand. Her short
brown hair curves inward, a wisp blowing around her full cheeks to
touch her dimple.
In the background,
her friend watches by the bus as mom finishes snapping the photo.
It’s the first day of school, and you feel this mother’s anxiety as
her baby heads off for first grade.
The picture
accompanies an article that is a must-read for parents of young
children. It offers a list of homework assignments for parents to
complete if they want to make sure their children are ready for
school:
§
Review and update immunizations.
§
Take
care of doctor appointments (e.g. braces) that will interfere with
school.
§
Get
rid of junk food. Stock up on healthy snacks.
§
Make
sure school programs offer gym activities…and that your child
participates.
§
Set
up a space and time to review homework with your child.
§
Monitor bedtimes to ensure enough sleep.
§
Review your child’s daily trip to and from school and be alert to
dangers to avoid.
§
Connect with other parents and school friends to form support systems.
§
Lay
out a plan for hours when you are absent and your child is at home.
The article is also
a must-read for parents of teens. Read through the list
again. Are you surprised to realize that each of these suggestions is
also required to ensure a healthy, happy school year for our teens?
How quickly we grow
comfortable with our teen’s independence, assuming they can operate
without us! It’s an easy pattern for both parents and teens to fall
into.
This is a great
time for parents and their teens to regroup and renew their connection
with each other. The start of a new school year is a new
beginning…new clothes, new backpacks, fresh paper and pencils…and a
perfect time for high school “kids” to share time with mom and dad.
Research proves
that the involvement of parents with their teenagers is the single
most important factor in protecting them from involvement with drugs,
tobacco, and sex. Your teens need you. And they’re the last ones to
let you know.
In her book
EPIDEMIC, Dr. Meg Meeker sounds a wakeup call to parents about the
devastating sexual epidemic threatening the health and welfare of our
young people. She writes, “I believe that, as parents, we simply run
out of steam. Or we back out of our kids’ lives fearing we’re being
too oppressive, overbearing, or overprotective.”
It doesn’t have to
be that way. The good news is that the teen world has a lot to offer
both teens and their parents.
Dr. Meeker tells
us, “If you want to develop connectedness with your teen, start by
getting to know the world he lives in. Where he goes at night and who
comes home with him after school. Who his friends are, what they do
when they’re together, and what he likes, dislikes, his dreams,
wishes, and wants.”
Take your teen out
for sodas. Arrange a family bowling night. Make banana splits
together for dessert. Sell pop with the parent club at the football
game snack bar. Pick something, anything, and do it together. You
will be building a safety net to help protect your teens during their
high school years.
The first day of
school is a great time to reassess and establish new patterns…five
years old or fifty years old…for both our children and us! You are
the key ingredient to your child’s success, whether it is in first
grade or twelfth grade. Start now and make the most of it.
Is your child ready
for school? If you are, then he is. Have a great year…both of
you!
Copyright © 2004 Jane Jimenez
Meg Meeker, M.D., EPIDEMIC: How Teen
Sex Is Killing Our Kids, Washington, D.C.: Lifeline Press, 2002.
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for past editorials.
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