During this national reboot, I found myself wondering if there were parenting things I wish I had known 35 years ago.
Well, one thing is that there are a lot of kids in my husband’s family who have various learning disabilities. In my family this just isn’t a thing, so I was pleasantly unaware. I could have paid closer attention. (Our daughter was fine.) I also wasn’t aware that our preschooler couldn’t skip. Dave and I were older, not athletic parents and never noticed that our daughter didn’t skip. Was this life-altering? I don’t know.
Of course, these were pre-internet days. Information was found in our doctor’s office, books, magazines and TV. Now there is so much information at our fingertips, it’s even easier to second guess ourselves.
If you search phrases like, “is my child ready for kindergarten?” you will get more answers than you need. One article on a parent site, (minnesotaparent.com) even suggested “Stay. Off. The. Google.“ But I just have to search.
One excellent source of common sense information is the Mayo Clinic website, www.mayoclinic.org. I like the way the article is arranged, and that it isn’t just “teach your child letters, numbers and shapes,” but it explores mental and physical health and discusses delayed enrollment.
This is the official Minnesota Department of Education website, https://education.mn.gov has so much available, especially information about the “what and why,” and the legalities involved. There are thousands more websites with information, but these two seemed really helpful to me.
By the way, I miss those early days of parenting. As we looked at flowers and bugs, built elaborate rivers and tunnels in the sandbox, and spent hours reading books, I didn’t realize how quickly time would fly. I intentionally slowed down, knowing there wouldn’t be a lot of chances for us to try this parenting thing. But it went so fast. Somehow the memories of sleepless nights and fevers, poo and other bodily fluids, and temper tantrums all fade, and I’m left with memories of a cute little dark-haired girl who loved animals and life.
My mom was from the era of “Baby and Childcare,” written by the famous Dr. Benjamin Spock (no, not the Star Trek guy), who said, “Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do.” My grandma saw Mom diligently sterilizing bottles while I sat in a bouncy swing sharing a lollipop with our dog Gus. She thought it was really funny. My point is, we all do our best, given what information we have.
The moms I know are doing great. I think your kids will remember these months as a super long vacation with some education thrown in. I know there have been tears about writing sentences and doing school work, but you might have had some tears thrown in on a “normal” day.
Remember my mantra, “it is well, it is well, it is well!” See you when the library opens!
