Often when you are pregnant or even a new mother you are ‘told’ to read all sorts of parenting books. This doesn’t end though, even as your child grows up….. there are books about milestones, the terrible twos, the middle stages, the pubescent years and being 14.
Really there is so much literature out there about how to be a parent and how to manage every situation you may be confronted with.
Reality check!!!
A book is nothing when compared to what is “REAL”.
I am not discounting their value only putting it into perspective!
Every child is different, every family is different and NO one, I mean NO one can predict what your tiny helpless being will be like! What it will experience as it grows up.
I say this as I have read all those books, I have the being 14 book next to my bed right now.
Have I read it???? Not yet…. why you ask? Time….volcanic teenage eruptions… work….. assignments…. dinner…. lunch boxes… English…. maths and more!
I think you get the idea.
How do we know who we have in our house at 14 if we cannot read the book! Well you learn through the tears, the tantrums, the anxiety, the ‘life is not fair’ statement we hear more and more and beyond that. The list goes on!
Life is not fair – that’s one of the biggest milestones I think a teenager can learn at this point in their lives!
It’s been a huge year for the students, let alone our own children. What a change in learning…. started as normal (for most) and the next minute we are encapsulated by a virus we cannot control.
Life is nothing like it was before. No morning teas, no normal day do day lessons to chat and no sleepovers! Who would have thought.
To sum this all up, or make my point, my daughter is 14 and has worked on a project while learning online. Her mind has developed this amazing idea of what her design, or wearable art project should be, and here I am trying to thread some expensive as shit red cotton through the tiny eye of a needle.
It’s been a big few weeks! I am currently threading red cotton through a needle to sow black lace onto a shirt, one part of a massive mad hatter/queen of hearts themes assignment.
I am tired after and emotionally exhausting day. After all a typical day as a teacher is far beyond what anyone can ever imagine. Yes, you may scoff at that as our next holiday approaches and many think we down tools at this time, however, for those who actually know a teacher this so so far from the truth!
Back to the needle……. The end won’t go through. It’s frayed. So we cut it again…. still it frays and just won’t fit. You lose your patience as you continue to try.
Persistence is key……
It may have just have thread through a tiny bit.. that small piece you try and grab… but as you go to grab the other end…. it’s gone and you have to start again.
To be honest, I think if we ran “threading a needle classes” our children would be better off.
There is nothing like trying to thread a needle for a costume that is due tomorrow for a hormonal 14 year old!
If that’s not a life lesson I do not know what is!
All I can say is keep trying to thread that dam needle…. survive the tears, the tantrums and more. It’s worth it!
To show you a snippet of what it has been here is the progression of that one assessment that tested me and tested us! There are no books written about how to deal with this!
Love you dad – thank you for being a mediator!
Parenting, patience, relationships and resilience! 