May happenings:

5-9 Galileo Testing
9 Talent Show Rehearsal
13 Volunteer Breakfast
14 Site Council and PTA
15 Child's Play
16 Talent Show, Basket Raffle and Enchilada Dinner
19 Kindergarten Promotion
20 Middle School Promotion
22 Last Day of School/Early Release


Hello Faith North Community,

Independence and Responsibility…avoiding helicopter parenting
More often it starts with something like this: “Let me help you cut that.” “How was school today? Were your friends nice to you?” “I will tell Grandma you don’t like chicken.” “She was just misbehaving because she had sugar.” Or because the other children excluded her. Or the teacher is impatient. Or she fell off her bike. Listen up. Those are the sounds of your blades whirring.
Like most parents, you will irrationally assume this article is about you. Not because it is, but because we all participate in these activities from time to time. Then, we see our children in some setting independent of our homes, and we realize that they are capable of so much more than we are asking of them.
Perhaps you have heard stories in recent years about parents who show up to job interviews with their children, or call college professors about a grade on a term paper, or call their children’s employers about better pay or benefits.
The first part of the struggle will be recognizing when you are doing it. Think of your child’s life as a path. Every day you will face choices that present two options. You can prepare the path for your child by removing the big rocks, the medium stones, and even every little pebble. Or you can prepare your child for the path by letting him face as many challenges as you can stand. This isn’t easy parenting, but it is good parenting. It won’t always feel very good for you; it will make your child’s life a whole lot easier. It really will.
All the best,
Susan Engdall