Thursday, August 20, 2009

Attitudes on School

I was in our vet's office yesterday, overhearing the techs' conversation. The woman described a conversation she had in the car with her pre-teen daughter.

Vet Tech: "I've got bad news for you. School starts again in two weeks."
Daughter: "Are you kidding me?! Thanks a lot for ruining my day!" (Now crying)
Vet Tech: "Sorry to wreck your day, but I figured you needed to know."
Daughter: "Thanks a lot, mom." (With obvious sarcasm)

The woman then laughed about it, thinking it was so funny that her daughter was crying about going back to school. Doesn't that raise a red flag for her? This woman started off the conversation with her daughter on a negative note. How could she have gone about this "forewarning" in a more positive way? Maybe the conversation could have gone like this:

Vet Tech: "Are you enjoying your summer?"
Daughter: "Yes, I've been having fun going to the pool every day."
Vet Tech: "Well, in a couple of weeks you'll be able to see all of your school friends again!"
Daughter: "You mean school's starting soon?"
Vet Tech: "Yes, and you're also signed up for dance class...two great things happening at once!"
Daughter: "Great! I wonder who will be in my homeroom this year?"

If the mother's attitude had a more positive twist, the daughter's entire view of school could have changed. If she was more positive and her daughter was still visibly upset, maybe the mom needs to discuss this further to find out what's really wrong, or look into alternative schools for her child. Your child's attitude about school is oftentimes a mirror of the people around her. We can't control what other people or the media say about school, but at least we can control the views we reflect onto our children.

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