“the free soul is rare, but you know it when you see it - basically because you feel good, very good, when you are near or with them.”
— Charles Bukowski, Tales of Ordinary Madness (via coral)
“That is the simple secret of happiness. Whatever you are doing, don’t let past move your mind; don’t let future disturb you. Because the past is no more, and the future is not yet. To live in the memories, to live in the imagination, is to live in the non-existential. And when you are living in the non-existential, you are missing that which is existential. Naturally you will be miserable, because you will miss your whole life”
— Osho (via perrfectly)
If your child’s grades are dropping
DO NOT:
- Yell at them for three hours
- Take away their devices and look through them
- Make them sit in their rooms in silent and do their homework alone
- Side with the teacher and not get your child’s side of the story
- Tell them that their grades are the most important thing they should worry about
INSTEAD:
- Ask if they’re having trouble with other students or teachers
- Sit down with them and help them with what they don’t understand
- Speak calmly instead of yelling
- Don’t invade their privacy by looking through their devices
- Don’t take away their hobbies as punishment
- Never make them feel unsafe or unable to trust you
This has been a message from a struggling high school junior that wishes their own parents actually did this stuff.
Bonus: Don’t look through their freaking backpacks. Chances are they know damn well they have loads of unfinished papers and the stress of knowing is so overwhelming they don’t even wanna look at it.
Also: Don’t belittle or minimize their struggles. If they need support with mental health, help them find a therapist - and for the love of all that is good, do not make therapy a punishment for bad grades. Actually genuinely care about their mental health and prioritize mental health above good grades.
