In my almost two years of being a parent, one of the toughest things I have dealt with is walking the parenting tightrope. You know what I mean—the situations and lessons where you don’t want to come down too far on one side but you also don’t want to go too far in the other direction.
For instance, I want my son to learn to play independently, but then I feel guilty that I’m not interacting with him enough. I also want him to learn respect for adults, but I don’t want him to be scared or shy around them.
And one of my more important goals is that I want my son to have high self-esteem, but I don’t want him to be overconfident. Most parents don’t want their child to be the shy child on the playground, but no one wants his or her kid to be the bully, either. So it’s about finding a balance.
Find out what's happening in Del Raywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Even though my son is not even 2, I often wonder if I am doing enough for his self-esteem or if I’m making mistakes that will be detrimental in years to come. That’s why an upcoming event on the Patch events calendar caught my eye.
On Saturday at 10:30am, Dr. Rene Hackney of Parenting Playgroups will be hosting a parenting workshop entitled “.” The event will be held at the First Christian Church of Alexandria.
Find out what's happening in Del Raywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The hour-long workshop is geared toward parents of children from infancy to 12 years old. Topics addressed will include how a sense of self develops, what is important for developing self-esteem by age, and what parents can do to help. The workshop will also focus on new challenges parents can offer their children to build social skills.
I am not a big fan of lectures, so the word “workshop” made me hopeful. The event description promises that the seminar will be interactive and will offer solutions parents can put into practice immediately. I think I can handle that.
As an added bonus, childcare will be provided. That means I don’t have to pay a babysitter while I learn how to inspire my child to be more than a wallflower but less than a bully. Perfect!
This is another time that I’m breaking my “be selfish” rule when it comes to getting out of the house, but sometimes we have to make sacrifices for our kids’ well-being. I guess that’s part of being a parent. But I’m still going to take a bubble bath this week to fulfill my “selfish” quota.
