Editorial: Gently let go, mom and dad

IT’S the last weekend before the opening of classes on June 3. By this time, uniforms are being readied, notebooks and other school supplies had already been bought, and the kids had already been enrolled to school. The only thing left to do is to wake up early and not be late on the first day of classes.

Small kids nowadays may tend to be smarter and less timid than the previous generations. There may be less scenes of little children throwing tantrums and crying violently not wanting to let go of their mother’s hand. But it is still something to be expected every class opening. After all, finally going to the big school may not only cause stress to the kids but also to the parents as well.

This weekend may be a perfect opportunity for parents, especially who will be sending a child to the big school for the first time, to contemplate on this big step. Eventually, the little babies will need to go out into the world, make friends, and learn. Socializing is a basic need for every human especially for growing kids. And this can only be done when the parents have already let go of their kids.

Slowly teaching them independence at a young age may make it easier for them to stand on their own as they reach adulthood.

Parents only want what is best for their children. Sometimes taking care of the kids borders to overprotection and this may not be healthy for them. Caterpillars that are transitioning to being butterflies are better off not assisted when they exit their cocoons, so are children. They need to undergo and overcome the right amount of shyness, fear, and anxiety around new people in the big school on their own.

But they are not really alone. They have their teachers and other school staff to look after them for the hours that they spend in school. By the afternoon, when the parent or the guardian fetches them, it would be either the kid has some sad or exciting story about the day in school. But it’s part of the learning experience of the child.

When you teach your children to become independent, strong, and kind to the people he/she will meet in the big school at a young age, you are doing the society a huge favor.