Be The Reason Your Child Thrives

Here in the northern hemisphere, parent/teacher conference season is upon us. It’s a beautiful time to acknowledge and celebrate the growth that our children have so far experienced this school year, while simultaneously turning our attention to the progress that we anticipate as the year continues. 

These meetings can sometimes be anxiety inducing, especially as by design many of our conference conversations are centered around how our child is performing academically and socially in comparison with their same-aged peers. And while standardized benchmarks can certainly be a helpful measure to use as our children move through different ages and stages, it’s also worthwhile to remember that comparison can often be the thief of joy.

Childhood abounds with endless opportunities for learning and growth. Intentional plans for skill building must also include a healthy dose of patience, connection, and the recognition that each child is moving forward along their own unique developmental timeline and honing their individual strengths, talents and interests along the way. 

During this conference season let’s lead with curiosity and celebrate progress, while also recognizing areas for growth that will stretch our children. By collaborating with the educators in our child’s life we can focus on increasing ease and success in the school setting by noticing, nurturing, and building on existing strengths, and also offering thoughtful and intentional supports within recognized areas of need.