Anxiety. That’s what it is. I’m trying to understand why I can whip out these articles, but when it comes to the school evaluation process and writing to the team, especially the Principal, I become immobile. I write two sentences, then rewrite and rewrite. I write five paragraphs in its entirety, only to erase it the next day and cut most of it out. Sometimes it takes me three days
and countless hours to write one of these school emails. I’m reading them over, and over again, thinking it will get better if I just changed a word here and there.
For these emails, I enlist my husband’s help. He’s great about being concise. He talks me thru the email and I write his words down, quickly because he’s dysgraphic and once the words leave his mouth, they disappear. This may take a few rounds till I get the message just right. I despise perfectionism!
After a few painful, and time-sucking days, the email is finally ready to go and I select the email addresses. I double-check the message and addresses, make sure any attachments are there, hold my breath, and nervously hit “send.” It doesn’t stop there. As soon as I send it, I re-read the sent email to make sure it was correct. Imagine my horror, when I find a typo.
When there’s a strained relationship with the school, these emails become a form of “evidence” in case you need it someday. They know it and you know it. I prefer to mend relationships, but sometimes things don’t go as planned. It’s extremely stressful and doesn’t help your child. In fact, having a stressed-out parent harms a child.
Gosh dang, anxiety! Many of our children have anxiety, which gets in the way of learning. Makes it difficult and sometimes impossible to do math or write a paper. Once the anxiety sets in, it’s hard to get rid of. We get the brunt of the meltdowns during homework time, which is actually a cry for help. See if you can’t calm the anxiety, you can’t learn. I must remember that the next time my daughter comes to me with homework in hand and tears in her eyes.