Education Lady

Dear Education Lady,

My ten-year-old son’s having trouble in school and the teacher thinks I should talk to our pediatrician about ADD medication. I don’t want to drug my child but I admit he’s a handful, what do I do?

Dear Ten-Year-Old Trouble,

It may comfort you to know you’re not alone. Ten year old boys historically were not created to sit quietly in an uncomfortable chair, at a desk, in an classroom within a  building with a fence around it for six to seven hours a day.

Sounds strikingly similar to jail, doesn’t it?

Now put yourself in your ten-year-old’s Nike’s and it is J-A-I-L.

Boys were meant to run and yell and settle things with a quick brawl. Yet today many are put on brain-numbing drugs, told not to raise their voices, never to hit, not to run and certainly not to fidget in that uncomfortable chair.

I am not saying violence is the answer or what boys need is to hit each other in the classroom, so don’t get your back up on me so quick. What I am saying is that there is a natural way of things and society has stepped in the path of how boys were meant to behave, learn and grow into protective, productive men.

So unless you want to take your ten-year-old out of school, put him in the backyard on a jungle gym half the way, watch him like a hawk and homeschool him, your options are a bit limited but far from impossible.

 

First, groom him up right, so that he takes pride in his education.

Learning is not a right, it is a privilege. It’s time to share with your ten year old that not every boy gets to go to school and access an education. There are ways to do this so that he sees the benefits of an education not the freedom those other little boys have that don’t get to attend school and it’s all in how you speak with your child.

Start by learning what your son really enjoys. What are his interests? We are each born with something that simply sings inside of us.

For me it was writing stories…and teaching others how to do something.

Unfortunate, Dear Mom, if we’re not careful the school system and we parents squash that dream instead of build it up.

If your Ten-Year-Old wants to rock it out on stage one day, then perhaps it’s time for those drum lessons – when his grades are good.

If he’s a clown in class, channel that energy and encourage his “acting” to be done after school in the presence of a professional acting coach, not his forth grade classroom!

Our job as parents and teachers is to raise up what’s in our kids not make them conform and be like everyone else.

 

Second, enroll your child in something active that happens after school. When I was in school (and I’m a girl) I was kicked out of the house until dusk. I rode my bike, caught bullfrogs in the swamp and raced down the hill with the neighborhood boys.

I wasn’t allowed in the house until it was dinner time and I’d gotten rid of some of my excess energy.

If your ten-year-old is not being active in the great outdoors, that’s a start. A bit of fresh air and exercise the old-fashion way is a simple, inexpensive answer that will provide results.

Limit the sit time to school time. The TV watching and video game playing will benefit the entire family if it’s cut in half immediately. That means if you’re kids are used to being in front of some kind of screen from the time they get home till dinner time that could be 3 to 4 hours a day. That’s 15 to 20 hours a school week, not to mention any time spent in front of the mind-numbing screens after dinner. 

Instead look at a team sport or martial arts program that will cater to your son’s genetic need to be hands on, work through aggression in a healthy way, have fun and interact well with others in a physical manner that is safe and supervised.

 

Third, In my humble opinion, medicating your child is never the answer.

Start first by taking a good, honest look at his diet. Cut down on carbs, sugar and dairy in the morning. Kids really need protein to allow their body’s to run. Carbs like cereal, toast, pop tarts and pancakes simply slow the system down.

Giving your child a sugary cereal for breakfast is like giving them a shot of adrenaline that’s going to aggravate their natural need to move and the teacher all in one serving. Then, within hours, it’s going to deplete your child of energy so he really don’t want to be in the classroom or accomplish anything productive other than a nap.

You can learn more about health kids, health eating and all the research that’s been done on linking health, nutrition and learning together.

Look your son is a boy.

Boys need to be active.  (And yes, girls need to be active too, so you don’t have to red flag me with emails over a sexist, bias post please!)

Take a look at his lifestyle currently and be honest. If he’s not running around, he’s not burning energy and if he’s not being fed healthy fuel, his body and brain won’t work at full capacity.

And by the way, homeschooling is a great option for a lot of parents. You can discover why by reading this article from a Frustrated Homeschool Mom.

And check out MOM, our new arrival coming soon to a virtual space just for Mom’s. Now this MOM (Mom’s Only Members) is top secret… and will answer all the “how-do-I” questions you could possibly ask!