Happy Parental Involvement Day!
Celebrating parental involvement day has a lot of meaning in my household. My mother was a stay at home mom and was highly involved in my elementary and middle school activities. In this article, I decided to ask my mother “What was her biggest take away from being involved in my school?” and these were her answers:
Increased Communication: “Being involved in your school activities allowed us to spend more time together. We had more to talk about when we got home and I was able to meet a lot of your friends, teachers, and the school administration. Meeting your friends allowed me to build and extend relationships with other parents – this was helpful because [the parents and I] shared similar stories and gave me a better understanding of the “crowd” you were hanging out with. You and I were also able to communicate more because we had friendships in common, an understanding of what classes or teachers you enjoyed and disliked, and worked on homework and projects together.”
Increased Trust: “Knowing your friends and their parents not only helped our communication but it also built trust overtime. As the years went on, I was able to “let go” a little more because I understood your needs and experiences. Not to mention that you would also say, “don’t worry mom, I will go to college and get my degree.” You constantly reminded me that you were on the right track, I think as much as you needed reinforcement, I too needed to feel secure and built trust in the little lady you were becoming.”
Increased Confidence: “As I was a stay at home mom, you and I were always together before you started Kindergarten. It was very traumatic for you because you were not as comfortable being around a lot of kids so by being involved in your school I began to notice an increase in your confidence. [Overtime] you were more social and always willing to help others.”
There you have it. 30 years later, my mother reflects on her biggest take away from being involved as a parent. Looking back, I truly appreciated my mother’s involvement as it did provide a smoother transition towards building success, confidence, and assurance at school. Til’ this day, I ask for my mother’s advice as it had a lot of meaning then and more meaning now.