I always encourage parents to be their child’s advocate and be in their corner no matter what, why? Because every child is different and you are the only one who can stand firmly by them as they navigate their young lives trying to find themselves.
Being your child’s advocate is not an easy thing. Usually those with differently abled children need to dig deep so they can provide the best resources for their children but those of us who are not in that category tend to leave the development of the children solely in the hands of the educator.
The educator knows their part in the story in your child’s life but if you want to raise children who grow up to fulfill purpose, you need to listen to your children, observe and trust your guts/instincts, seek expert help and PRAY if you believe in prayer.
Many years ago we changed schools for my son, he didn’t adjust to the new school well. Unfortunately, we did not pay much attention thinking the he will eventually adjust, till the authorities one day called me to say ‘He is not a serious student’ I asked why the answer was ‘ He is always sketching or drawing something when the teacher is teaching’. Honestly, I was unsettled by the answer. The contrast was, his former school LOVED him. I remember one of the teacher’s saying oh so who will perform the lead roles in our Christmas plays?’ They were sad to see him go and he excelled academically there as well.
The difference between school A and B was that, school A was set up to bring out the talents in creative children like my son. He was forever bringing all kinds of drawings home. It was a smaller class size and the environment nurtured his spirit and gifts.
School B, did not place much value on the creative, that environment almost destroyed my son with their constant criticisms etc. Can you believe one day I was summoned to the school because his books were not covered with brown paper? He was embarrassed and given a little note to bring to me. I was soo upset that I had to take time off from the office over brown paper!
Still we kept him there for 6 years! I’m ashamed to say this but we did because among many other things, we did not pay attention to his complains. And and I did not pay attention to the uneasiness I always felt about his school environment. The reason was, I was dealing with too much stuff at the time. Too much of life was happening to me and I simply did not have the inner strength and courage to make the changes that I needed to make for my son.
In the 6th year I met an angel in the form of a very experienced educationist who had served many years in the international setting. She said to me ‘your son will not thrive in this system’ she encouraged me to find a suitable system that will nurture his gifts as well as educate him academically.
This change process was not easy. It was wrought with a lot of challenges but I was determined to be my child’s advocate. The school change was one of the greatest blessings! Within a year I began to see wonderful changes and today when I look at my son, I am soo grateful to God he gave me the courage to make the decisions I made for him to be where he is now.
It is possible to be soo overwhelmed by life’s happenings that you miss out on very important seasons in your child’s life. Don’t let the stress at work, financial issues, personal, relationship, marriage and other family issues overwhelm you so much that you lose your focus on the future.
Your child/children is/are the future.
How much of yourself are you pouring into him/her/them to ensure they become the world that you want to see?
Are you aware of your child’s gifts, what steps are you taking to help nurture them? It can be daunting when you are raising a gifted child but with much determination, prayer, the right community around you, you will be able to do all you can to be the support that your child needs.
@Emefa Gadze, October 2017
All Rights Reserved
Image of the girl playing football is via http://www.clipartgirl.com
emefagadze 