"Like a rubber ball I come...

bouncing back to you. Rubber ball I come bouncing back to you...  ooh... ooh."  The first school day of the 2012-2013 is in the books.  I bet your kids came bouncing back to you, just like a rubber ball, when they came home from school today.  Did they have stories of having the best teacher in the world and seeing so many of their friends?  Did they talk about reading a book or working a math problem?  I hope they did.

It struck me today, on the first day of school, how resilient children are.  I saw them wait patiently in the gym while they were connected with their new teacher.  I watched them listen closely as the teacher explained how we expect everyone to behave in the cafeteria.  However, I was most impressed when I struggled, as their partner, to find their correct school bus.  Every time I saw students, finding their bus or throughout the first day of school, they displayed an optimism that was contagious.

No matter what the circumstances, they trusted that their teachers and I would find the solution, solve the problem, locate what was missing, explain the complicated, recognize their feelings, show the way to the answer, and care for them deeply.  And, guess what - we did.  We did because they depend on us; we did because it is our mission.  The first day of school was a good day, a day of promises made and promised kept.

Many parents will ask their child, "what did you do in school today?"  It is a question built into the DNA of parents.  May I offer a suggestion?  This year, when you child comes home from school, ask this question.  Ask, "What two good things happened in school today?'  Or maybe even, "What three good things happened to you in school today?"  Switching to one of these questions stresses the positives for kids.  Today, they, and we, need all the positives we can accumulate.

Mom, Dad, Family Members, don't be surprised if you get the answer, "I don't know."  The older your child is, the more likely this answer occurs.  When you get the answer, "I don't know", just smile and ask the same question again.  "What two good things happened in school today?'  Kids expect that the "I don't know answer" will get the adult to stop asking questions.  By simply asking the question again, you are using the broken record technique and it works.  If necessary, ask the same question a third time, be a broken record and find out what the good things were for your child today.

Speaking of broken record, Like a rubber ball I come bouncing back to you. Rubber ball I come bouncing back to you... ooh... ooh, what singer/recording artist made this song famous?  I will give you a hint, my brother and he share the same first name.  If you don't know the answer, ask a family member who is older.  No fair looking for the answer online.  I will list the answer in tomorrow's blog.  For now, remember your kids are like a rubber ball bouncing back to you.  Enjoy each bounce!