Tough Spot
Tina
I'm trying real hard to word this right, so please be patient with
me. As some of you know we have three unschoolers at home...one
veteran and two newbies. My particular tough spot is with my newest
newbie, Andrew-14.
Andrew came home from public school at Easter Break. Honestly, I
knew ahead of time that it would be challenging for us to adjust to
having him home 24/7. Andrew really enjoyed the social aspect of
school. He has concerns about still being able to go into the
military being homeschooled. (We've discussed that here
previously...his fears are still prevelent) He was getting in
trouble on a regular basis for "insubordination" at school. For
lack of better way to put it he really had/has an attitude. What
some traditional parents would maybe call a "chip on his shoulder".
He can come of real cocky.
From what I have learned so far I am trying to view this
differently. I went through things like this with the four older
girls and hadled it poorly. I knew nothing of what I know now,
then. Now I know, and I LONG to do better by us all. Deep down
I've always known there just HAD to be a better way, but old
reflexes jump right in when no new ones are learned. :-(
Anyway, I am SO struggling with relating to him. In the negative
sense he is disrespectful and rude. It's not just with me, although
mostly it is, it's with the whole family. It's SO hard to take, and
I really, really don't have the "tools" to grab onto to handle the
situations as they arise in a more positive manner. It's SO hard to
stomach. Can anyone shed a light on the positive parenting
necessary to help a child through a tough spot?
I can try to give an example if necessary, but right now I am having
difficulty putting it into words. I just want to be able to handle
a situation that would stereotypically be labled rude or
disrespectful. Let me know if you need more info...
Thanks - Tina
me. As some of you know we have three unschoolers at home...one
veteran and two newbies. My particular tough spot is with my newest
newbie, Andrew-14.
Andrew came home from public school at Easter Break. Honestly, I
knew ahead of time that it would be challenging for us to adjust to
having him home 24/7. Andrew really enjoyed the social aspect of
school. He has concerns about still being able to go into the
military being homeschooled. (We've discussed that here
previously...his fears are still prevelent) He was getting in
trouble on a regular basis for "insubordination" at school. For
lack of better way to put it he really had/has an attitude. What
some traditional parents would maybe call a "chip on his shoulder".
He can come of real cocky.
From what I have learned so far I am trying to view this
differently. I went through things like this with the four older
girls and hadled it poorly. I knew nothing of what I know now,
then. Now I know, and I LONG to do better by us all. Deep down
I've always known there just HAD to be a better way, but old
reflexes jump right in when no new ones are learned. :-(
Anyway, I am SO struggling with relating to him. In the negative
sense he is disrespectful and rude. It's not just with me, although
mostly it is, it's with the whole family. It's SO hard to take, and
I really, really don't have the "tools" to grab onto to handle the
situations as they arise in a more positive manner. It's SO hard to
stomach. Can anyone shed a light on the positive parenting
necessary to help a child through a tough spot?
I can try to give an example if necessary, but right now I am having
difficulty putting it into words. I just want to be able to handle
a situation that would stereotypically be labled rude or
disrespectful. Let me know if you need more info...
Thanks - Tina