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Dealing with the "Perfectionist" Child
by Sharon Bacasmot and Linda Price
Q: When you have a perfectionist
child, who do you deal with his frustration when he doesn’t
get it right the first time?
A: If your child is getting frustrated with a particular
task or assignment, first suggest that he or she try again.
If the frustration is too great, come back to that subject
in a day or so. When my daughter, who has perfectionist
tendencies, becomes frustrated if she doesn’t get
an assignment right the first time, we stop school and I
encourage her to do a fun physical activity of her choosing.
If her frustration level is high, we don’t resume
school until the next day. After she has had time to cool
off and unwind, we first pray together about the assignment
and then discuss it so that I am sure I understand exactly
what is confusing her.
Suggestions to consider:
- Be sure your own expectations are reasonable. We sometimes
unintentionally and unwittingly communicate perfectionism
to our children.
- Be encouraging and patient. Assure your child that he
or she WILL get it.
- Give an example of something that was difficult for
you to grasp, explaining that by going over it many times
you were able to “get it.”
- Do some reading and discussion with other home school
mothers in order to determine your child’s learning
style. Maybe your teaching method does not fit the way
your child processes information.
- As children mature, and you help them understand that
some things take time and effort to learn, the frustration
will become less.
If you have a homeschooling question and
would like to “Ask The Veterans”, please put
it in writing to Board@OmahaHEN.org
or to: HEN Newsletter, 2610 Morrie Dr., Bellevue, NE 68147.
We will forward your question along to our veteran moms
who will respond for publishing in a future newsletter.
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the place of legal counsel from a qualified, informed attorney. |
