Accepting that your child’s behaviour may have changed and could be causing problems and conflict both within your family and in school, is a hard situation for any parent to find themselves in. Asking for help and working with others to try and find a way to manage and ultimately solve the problem is the best way to proceed, but it is not always that easy to ask for help.
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Professionals
Teachers and other professionals who work within education are all trained and highly experienced in dealing with children’s behaviour, and they really will want to support and guide you through any difficult times you may be going through. Sometimes it is very difficult for us to ‘see the wood for the trees’ when it comes to those close to us. It could be that you really don’t want to accept there is a problem, or that you have accepted it but simply cannot see a way forward. Maybe you have sought help before and it hasn’t worked out and you now just feel like giving up and giving in to your situation.
When the Going Gets Tough…
It is really important to understand that whatever you may be experiencing might be new to you, but that many other parents have been through exactly the same or worse and that the teachers who want to help you will have the best interests of you, your child and your family at heart. Asking for help should never be seen or regarded as a sign of weakness or failure, and educational professionals will never think this. They will genuinely want to try their best to help you because ultimately if your child is displaying behaviour at school that is causing problems in the classroom, it has to be sorted out.
First Steps
Once you have decided that you are going to seek help from teachers and other school staff then approach them with your worries and concerns and try to set a time and a date for a proper meeting. This way you will all have a chance to voice your concerns and try and work out exactly what it is that is impacting so heavily on your child’s behaviour.
Teachers will Understand
Never underestimate the strength and importance of the relationship that your child may have with their teacher as this will be key to finding a solution to the problem. Teachers spend a lot of time with our children and get to know them very well. They may be able to offer a valuable insight into why your child’s behaviour has been affected and give you some ideas for how you can try to encourage your child to talk about their feelings and emotions and find a way through a difficult situation.
It could be that your child feels more able to talk to school staff than to you, and this should not be seen as a negative thing. In fact it is always encouraging to know that our children feel comfortable and confident enough to talk to their teachers about any problems.
Open and Honest
Being open and honest is the key to being able to communicate any problems and find a way through bad patches. By making it clear to your child that you need to speak to their teacher in order to help them and you make sense of what is happening, is far more positive than constantly nagging your child, shouting at them or ignoring them. Be patient and keep talking and with the help of teachers and the wider school community, you will find a way through your problems.
