I am going to let you in on a secret. It is the most powerful response you can use when talking to your children, especially in those sticky moments when you are at a loss for words. The response?
“Oh.”
“Really?” I can hear you saying even as I write this. “That’s the best you can do?”
Yes.
And whether you believe me or not, I encourage you – maybe even implore you? – to join me and other parents on Wednesday, September 25 at 6:30 PM at the History Club Los Gatos (123 Los Gatos Blvd in Los Gatos) to hear Sheri Glucoft-Wong, LCSW, a family therapist, parent educator and consultant who is known for offering practical, useable tools for raising kids. Sheri has led workshops all over the Bay Area for more than three decades, and is a return visitor to Hillbrook. She is the mastermind behind “oh” and other parenting tips that truly do make a difference. Raising children can sometimes feel like riding a roller coaster, and she offers practical tips and wisdom to help us manage the ups and downs and twists and turns that we all experience along the way. Her presentation is relevant to parents in all grades, and I strongly encourage you to do whatever you can to have at least one parent or guardian participate.
Her presentation will be one of the first of a number of parent education opportunities we will have for families in the year ahead. You might also check out my recent blog post about how we support our children in taking risks, which is taken from my comments at Back to School Night this past week. Parent education events, along with these occasional reflections, are one of the ways in which we hope we can serve as a resource to help families navigate their children’s school experience. We are a values-driven school, and attending these events helps us remain connected to our shared values as a community.
We are so grateful that you entrust us with your children each day at school, and we are eager to partner with you to help each child become the best version of themselves.