Dear Child,
As your parent, there are a few things I can promise. I promise to love you unconditionally, to provide for your basic needs (and extras if you’re lucky) to provide opportunities for you to learn and grow, and to do my best to help you become the intelligent, responsible, healthy, happy, productive adult I know you can be. Part of this promise is to do my best to ensure you get the most out of your education, and to be aware and involved whenever possible to get you the help that you need when you need it.
I promise to listen. I promise to let you vent about your classes and listen intently when you feel frustrated and unsuccessful.
I promise to be patient. I promise to try to remember if math does not come naturally for you, and to try and teach it to you a different way if the first 3 ways I tried don’t work. I promise to stay calm when you can’t, to keep trying when you don’t want to, and to work towards the breakthrough even though you don’t see one happening.
I promise to be your advocate. I promise to speak to your teacher on your behalf if you ask me to. I promise to listen to your side, and their side, and work with everyone to find a solution to any problem you may have. I promise to help you get extra help if I can’t provide it. I promise to find you a tutor, a study group, online help or any other assistance that will make you a more successful student. I will stand up for you and be your voice when you need me. I will fight for whatever it takes for you to feel confident in your education.
I promise to work with you. Even if I don’t know the answers, I promise to work with you to find them. I will make up silly games, catchy rhymes or weird rap songs to help you remember a particular rule, equation or formula. I promise to give you study breaks when you need them, tissues when you need them, and to sharpen your pencil when you need it.
As your parent, one of my biggest hopes and dreams is for you to be a happy, healthy, productive member of society; someone who charges full force into the world with self-confidence, a solid education and plans to change the world. But I’m only human, and sometimes I won’t measure up to these promises. But I want you to know that I will do everything in my power to ensure that you walk into each school year knowing I’m in your corner, and walk out on graduation day with a “I can do anything” attitude. That is my promise to you.