Advocate

YOU are your child's best Advocate...until they become their own

One of the hardest things for many kids to learn, is how to be an advocate for themselves. Heck, many parents aren't comfortable being the child's first and strongest advocate. But you HAVE to!

Just as with picking your battles with your children, you must do so when being your child's advocate. One of the most important areas is school. If at anytime you feel something is not "right", or if your child complains to you to the point that you know it really bothers them, speak up.

Discuss the issue first with your child. A valuable tip is to not always assume your child is telling you the whole story. Yes, we all want to think our children are perfect. Reality check...they're not ;-) Ask lots of questions. Give ideas of why the situation is what it is.

If you still feel something isn't right, contact the appropriate person at the school. Remember to be polite, but firm. Let them know you may not have all the facts but you want to know all the facts so the situation can get resolved.

Stay on top of it until it is resolved, and always thank the school official(s) who helped get it resolved. Be a good example to your children on staying calm, achieving good communication with them and the school, and following thru. Over time they will take on these responsibilities themselves. Yes, you may need to intervene, or support them, but that's ok :-)