By this point, those of us who have been watching the youngest learners struggle through online school know just how emotionally taxing it can be. While some kids are thriving in online school, others are really having a hard time. When it comes to kindergarteners and first graders, the demands of online schooling sometimes seem like way too much.
As parents, it's hard to watch our kids feel down on themselves when we know it's so much to ask. One mom of a 7-year-old just nailed the struggle with a social media post that has gone mega viral. In it, she flipped the script on the struggle and completely took the weight off her son, who was clearly feeling it.
Christine Derengowski let us in on the beautiful moment with her son last week. Her post was so poignant it now has over 713,000 shares on Facebook.
Christine was working with her first grader, trying to help him through school. But it wasn't without a battle. Her post began, "I’ve lost a year with my kids battling over school and I’m done.
"My seven year old and I were in the midst of our usual asynchronous day battle. I had his writing homework in my hand from school. He’d written several full, well-thought-out sentences.
"But he won’t do the same for me, at least not without a fight."
She tried and tried to get him to cooperate. She even told him that he could write about his worst day, even though the assignment was to write about his best. He was visibly upset and told her that he would "get into trouble" if he didn't do the correct assignment.
That's when she made a pretty big realization. And it's one we can all learn from. "And it hit me," she wrote. "Instead of getting frustrated and pushing the assignment, I sat down with him at his desk in his superhero bedroom.
"I said 'you won't get in trouble and you can't fail first grade. In fact, you're kind of a superhero yourself.'"
"He sat up in his chair just a little and looked at me with disbelief," she continued. "I said, 'Do you know that no kids in the history of kids have ever had to do what you're doing right now? No kids in the history of kids have ever had to do school at home, sitting in their bedroom, watching their teacher on a computer. You and your friends are making history.'"
It's such a beautiful message, but the reason it probably gained so much traction online is because it's just so true. What our kids are doing right now is nothing short of incredible. It's hard on so many levels. Not only do they not get to be in school around friends, with play time and social time, they are sitting and staring at a screen all day like adults in offices. Not only is it hard, it's probably not even healthy, but in many cases, it's our only option.
Christine told Good Morning America about why she told her son what she did. "I wanted him to know that he wasn't alone — that his friends are all struggling and they're all doing a great job," she said. She also said there's been a massive positive response to the post.
"It made me feel like I wasn't alone as a parent — hearing the stories," she said.
Christine also has a younger child in kindergarten, so she really knows the struggle well. She shared that not only has it been hard to get her kids through online school, it's been more of a "detriment" than it has been helping them learn. A lot of parents can relate to that.
Parents are having a tough time right now. But so are kids! That's why this reminder is so important. In many cases, we're pushing our kids through online schooling even when we can see and feel that it isn't the best thing for them. But what other options do we have? It's painful all around, and that's why Christine's post was so welcomed.
Christine said she hopes the post will remind people to "hug your little superheroes today." She also says "don't forget to cut them the slack." Clearly, it's resonating all over the place.
The best part is that Christine says she's noticed some positive changes in her kids since easing up on them with online schooling. While we probably shouldn't let school go out the window altogether, it's nice to hear that the world didn't stop turning. It helps us all to put things in perspective.
