I think I am not mistaken when I say that all parents want to raise children who become happy, full, good and honest adults. We teach them to say thanks and please, to be courteous, to respect, to comply with the rules. Or at least we tried. We strive to raise good people. We want them to grow up to be civilized, reliable, empathetic adults and why not? Nice too, good people in general. We care a lot about the education of our children too; that the teachers are adequate, that our money is invested in improvements for the school and in training for teachers. Anyway, we want the best for our children.
And that is very good.
But, wanting the best and giving them the best also comes with teaching them the best, being the best possible example, right?
And we tried, really yes … until school starts and with it, chaos, traffic, and stress. I am not going to talk about the savages we do (or do) when driving on the way to school because this traffic is hellish. But, I do want to start with me and tell you some things that happen daily at the door of the school or even inside the school, but – look here – none of the things I am going to tell happens in my children’s school. These things happen in other schools, with other parents, other children. Nor does it happen in schools to which their children go. Therefore, any resemblance to reality is pure coincidence.
In some schools far, far away to park to drop off and pick up children is an ordeal. And it is not so much because of the little parking there is, but because mothers and fathers park blocking other cars, they park in double (and even triple row). Others, are placed as close as they can to the door of the school and there they are planted (no matter if there is a pandemonium of cars that wants to pass behind) and it is rumored that the drivers of these families are worse than the thugs of Marsellus Wallace.
Something similar happens with the “Kiss & Go” or “Drop Off” (or whatever the system of those distant schools is called). It is supposed to be a fast track where parents do NOT go down, they just leave their children and teachers help them down. However, mothers and fathers park, get out of the car, get their children down, hug them, kiss, cuddle and bless and then follow them with their eyes as they get into school. Conclusion: infernal tail, traffic, and despair. [Here, I must say, that as a neuro-mother I fully understand the parents who do this.] I also love to crush my children, my heart is squeezed when I see them so small to go to school alone and if I had a pool With 5 pre-kindergarten children, he would also suffer from leaving them in that system. But… as a respected neuro-mother, I wouldn’t leave them in the “Kiss & Go, no. I would park calmly somewhere a little further away (I would pay a parking lot if there was one nearby) and I would walk with all my little ones until I left each one in their living room (previous squat, kiss, and respective blessing). Call me neuro, but that’s me.
On the other hand, when it comes to respecting the rules and complying with the standards in these schools they send communications (every year) prohibiting backpacks with wheels, delivering the official measures of lunch boxes, backpacks, and cartridge cases so that there are no problems when putting them in the lockers, but … likewise, parents buy backpacks with wheels that are so large that they do not enter anywhere, or worse still send their children with clothes that are not part of the uniform.
How do we want to raise formal and respectful adults from others and institutions if we do not respect ourselves and, moreover, do not respect the first institution with which our children have contact (apart from family)? Yes, I know, I know. Let the first stone throw who is free from sin. I will not give them super perfect, I have also made my mistakes. Although, in my children’s school I avoid it. If I have ever bothered someone with the station it has been for cane monse not for “sapa” and if my children have broken any rule it has been for misinformation, not knowingly.
I know that we are all parents here that we want the best for our children and we break the spine to give it to them. So how about we start by giving you the best example? What if we start with us? What if it starts with me.
Let me begin by respecting the directives of the school (although I do not agree with them), respecting others while driving, having civic awareness. Starting with me teach my child to be empathetic and include all the friends in the lounge, q ue start for me notcriticize so much and collaborate more (I promise!) That starts with me teach respect, respecting the first institution to which my children go and I chose.
May the change I love so much for my country, for my children, begin with me .
