3 Day Old Blogger has Dilemma December 7, 2009

If I am to write a parenting/ psychology/ education blog, I do want to come off as somewhat professional. But so far, that has proved BORING.

So how about a quick and sassy anecdote about parenting a tween? Well, as my sweet and observant stepdaughter pointed out, I am not  a parent of a tween and therefore my opinion, although humble, will probably not be very well received. Certainly not any more well received than the looks I get in Costco when my 2 year old throws a canniption (sp?) fit over a choo-choo train. 

So the 3 day old blogger’s blog just might take a turn for the irreverent. Seems that professional Cecily should just start a tutoring website (hello Debbie!) and blogger Cecily should experiment for a while before I invite my 113 facebook friends to check out my blog. Stay tuned….

Your KID wants to be heard and YOU want to listen December 5, 2009

Here’s a trick:
Mirror her, echo what she’s saying before giving a real response or opinion.
She says: But all my friends are going to the….. (something you don’t want her to go to)

You say: I see, this is important to you because all of your friends are going. You enjoy spending time with your friends.

THEN you say:  But I just can’t let you go. It’s unsafe for someone your age to… and I can’t let you be in harm’s way.

You probably won’t get a cheerful ‘ok’ from your tween, but in that moment in which you demonstrate you understand her perspective you will get respect. And she will LISTEN to you when she knows that you have really listened to her!

Why are previously ambitious kids less motivated in middle school? December 3, 2009

This is an article that appeared in Time Magazine a couple years ago:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1126743-2,00.html

The author questions what happens to formerly energetic and passionate young children who suddenly become apathetic in middle school. It’s suggested that they start evaluating their actions in relation to their peers, and that learning is uncool. Or they simply can’t relate academics to their life goals.

When I taught middle school, I noticed a major shift in the camaraderie a classroom with a single teacher shares to a more scattered (Periods 1-6) and business-like schedule. Although they likely would not admit it, I think kids really miss the security of one set of rules, one teacher, and familiar faces to work with.

What do you think?