Remember that incident from last year? You do? Then it's time to put it behind you. It's history! If last year wasn't such a good school year for your child, you should be even more bound and determined to make this year better than last year!
"But you just don't understand. Last year this happened or my child …" Unless something tragic and life changing happened last year in school, then it's safe to say, it doesn't really matter what happened last year, this is a new year; a fresh year.
You may not always be able to change circumstances. However you (and your child) have complete control to change your reactions to situations. Let's take a few examples of what may have happened last year to make it not so good.
Embarrassment – It's tough being a kid. Things cause us to be mortified. Ever wet your pants in school? My husband did. He wanted to die. He thought he'd never live it down. I'm pretty sure he's the only person on the planet who remembers that. Teach your child to try to make light of embarrassing situations. Sure that's easier said than done, but if he can laugh with others, it won't be so traumatic.
Friendship woes. She's not my friend anymore. I was the only person not invited to the party! I can't believe she said that to me. Unfortunately, hurt feelings are a part of life. Acknowledge your child's feelings and put it behind you – it's a new year.
Situation with a teacher. I heard of one 4th grader who didn't report to the safety meeting at the end of the school year. He told the teacher/coordinator that he forgot about the meeting and asked if he could still be a safety. The teacher said no because the student didn't demonstrate responsibility. The child fretted for weeks that he'd actually be assigned to that teacher the following year. In his mind, "he hated that teacher". Guess what? That child was in that teacher's class. And that child ended up loving the teacher and having an excellent year.
Remind your child that things are not always as bad as they seem. Remind them that things have a way of working out. Remind them to worry about nothing. Ninety percent of the things we worry about never happen; and as for the other ten percent, it's out of our span of control anyway.
Make a conscious decision to have a better year this year!
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