Communicating With Your Elementary-Aged Kid

The elementary years require a heavy investment of time from you, the mom, as you teach your child.

By the time your kids reach elementary school, you have been working to teach them right from wrong for at least 6 years! What other things in life have you worked at every day for 6 years (sometimes with zero evidence of progress)? Probably not many! I think that’s why I get so many questions from moms who are frustrated that their 5, 6 or 7 year old is just not getting it. You feel like you have been repeating yourself for so long now that your child should be a pro at these behavioral basics. I always tell you mommas that motherhood is a marathon, not a sprint, and in these years, you have to keep that in mind!

One thing to work on in the elementary years is teaching your child the ‘why’ behind the ‘no’. It is critical that we explain why we think and believe what we believe, and why we act the way we act. I wrote an entire post on this idea here if you want more on that.

During these years, your child is listening to you and you have so much influence, so take advantage of the influence you have, but it takes time! Stay the course, keep the marathon in mind and believe me, your investment will pay off in the long run.