Take Your Struggling Child to Lunch
Plan a “Take Your Struggling Child to Lunch” day. You may have to schedule it for the weekend when the non-homeschooling parent can run herd on the other little rascals.
In any case: identify the child that worries you.
Examples of worry:
- isn’t reading yet but “should” be
- likes Minecraft “too” much
- takes a “really long time” to finish (a math page, breakfast, tie shoes, brushing teeth, handwriting one sentence…)
- seems sad
- has “no” obvious passion
- “hates” (fill in the blank—math, writing, history, a brother or sister, sports, life)
The idea is this: what you see as struggle may be your misunderstanding—you may have the “struggle” right but have missed the interpretation.
Take your child to lunch without agenda. Ask open-ended questions like:
- “What do you love about Minecraft?”
- “What’s hard about ____?”
Sprinkle in broad happy questions:
- “If you could design tomorrow, what would we all be doing?”
- “What’s one thing I could eliminate from your life right now to make it easier, better, more peaceful, happier?”
You’ll think of others. This lunch is not a “fixer-upper” with loads of suggestions. It’s a moment of connection where your child knows you admire and trust your child.
Keep going til you spark that admiration in yourself (that’s when lunch is finished).
This post is originally from Instagram and @juliebravewriter is my account there so come follow along for more conversations like this one!
