I have three sons ages 24, 21, and 18. Each are different in their own unique way. As a parent you want your children to be successful and excel in life. I demanded good grades and expected all three boys to meet my high expectations. I was what you would call a tiger mom. My parenting style worked well with my two older boys, however caused emotional distress with my youngest. When I realized my youngest son was clinically depressed, I needed a friend to talk to. I confided in my boss and her words of wisdom changed me forever. Through her support, I learned how to be the type of parent my youngest son needed. My oldest son did well in high school, got accepted to the college of his choice and landed a job as a nurse as soon as he
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Being a parent does not come with instructions. I was being the only kind of parent I was familiar with and what I knew had worked in the past. Success to me meant good grades and going to college. Sending my children to a private college prep high school has advocated my plans. The two older boys no longer needed my guidance, which allowed me to invest my full attention to my youngest son’s academic success. I had checked his grades daily on the school’s parent portal and reprimanded nightly if I felt the grade was not high enough. Yelling, screaming, and hollering was the only way I thought I could make him do what I expected. Can you imagine how I reacted when he almost failed a class? All I could think of was how embarrassed I would be if my child had to go to summer school. I had been so judgmental whenever hearing about other students who had to attend summer school and had thought to myself, “That would never happen to any of my children”. Dealing with my son’s depression and suicidal ideations was one of the toughest time of my life. I had sought out professional help for myself, but never made an appointment. This issue with my son was effecting all aspects of my life. One day I could not handle it anymore and was brought to tears. I needed a friend to listen and give me support. I walked into my boss’s office, shut the door, and asked if we could talk. I never realized that the words of wisdom …show more content…
My youngest son is no longer depressed, and I am no longer a tiger mom. My son is a descent high school baseball player and Shenandoah University’s baseball coach recently contacted him. I was impressed with the response my son sent to the coach telling him how excited he was to meet with him and to tour the college. I need to restrain my feelings of excitement and allow him to do this at his pace. Not sure if this is where he will attend or if he actually will attend college, but I’ll support him in whatever goal he has in life. He is a good kid with many great qualities and I know he will be
Being a parent does not come with instructions. I was being the only kind of parent I was familiar with and what I knew had worked in the past. Success to me meant good grades and going to college. Sending my children to a private college prep high school has advocated my plans. The two older boys no longer needed my guidance, which allowed me to invest my full attention to my youngest son’s academic success. I had checked his grades daily on the school’s parent portal and reprimanded nightly if I felt the grade was not high enough. Yelling, screaming, and hollering was the only way I thought I could make him do what I expected. Can you imagine how I reacted when he almost failed a class? All I could think of was how embarrassed I would be if my child had to go to summer school. I had been so judgmental whenever hearing about other students who had to attend summer school and had thought to myself, “That would never happen to any of my children”. Dealing with my son’s depression and suicidal ideations was one of the toughest time of my life. I had sought out professional help for myself, but never made an appointment. This issue with my son was effecting all aspects of my life. One day I could not handle it anymore and was brought to tears. I needed a friend to listen and give me support. I walked into my boss’s office, shut the door, and asked if we could talk. I never realized that the words of wisdom …show more content…
My youngest son is no longer depressed, and I am no longer a tiger mom. My son is a descent high school baseball player and Shenandoah University’s baseball coach recently contacted him. I was impressed with the response my son sent to the coach telling him how excited he was to meet with him and to tour the college. I need to restrain my feelings of excitement and allow him to do this at his pace. Not sure if this is where he will attend or if he actually will attend college, but I’ll support him in whatever goal he has in life. He is a good kid with many great qualities and I know he will be