Parenting tips for Overseas Moms

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As a mom, being able to provide for your family’s needs is one of your greatest concerns. It has become a common scenario in our society nowadays that moms are going overseas just to find high-paying jobs that will be able to support their family’s needs.

Working overseas can be a very challenging situation for a mother. In our culture, mothers are expected to be the one who look after the children and guide them as they grow up and mature. This can be a really tough, if not impossible, task to do if you are working abroad, since you do not get the chance to bond with your children frequently. There will be a lot of important events in your children’s lives that you are not going to witness personally.

If you are experiencing he above mentioned dilemma, then it’s time to set up your priorities and exert your fullest effort to be able to reach out to your child even if you are miles away from them. With time management and priority setting, you will be able to let your children feel your loving guidance.

One of the major concerns of growing children will be their studies. There might be times when you wish you can fly home just to help your child on his difficult math homework, prepare his/ her costume for an upcoming school play or boost his/her confidence when he/she feels nervous about his/her exam for tomorrow. You can’t help it. It is a part of a mother’s instinct to support her child.

Any teacher will tell you that a parent’s involvement in a child’s education is crucial to his/her development and will have an impact even years after graduation. Studies have shown that when parents are involved, children get better grades, develop a positive attitude towards homework and school, and are more determined to pursue and finish their studies. Distance, of course, makes involvement difficult.

Being an OFW, you may also find other OFW moms who are just having the same problems as you. You see, you are not alone in this dilemma. Other OFW moms had also strive hard to participate actively on their child’s schooling as much as possible, and they became successful.

Needless to say, ensuring that the children get the most out of their studies is of highest importance.One OFW mom shared her conversation t on the subject with Lynn Pinugu, institutional development director of Mano Amiga Academy, which has many students who are children of OFWs.

Pinugu stressed that the absence of a parent should not be a hindrance for child from reaching his/her full potential. Working directly with a child’s guardian, or his/her support, when parents were away, could still produce positive results.

Helping your child learn

Here are Pinugu’s tips to strengthen children’s ability to learn, even when parents are not around full-time:

Have a positive attitude towards learning. How parents feel about school rubs off on their children, no matter how little time they spend together. Working parents may not have the chance to be involved in school, but they can show how much they value education by taking an active interest in what the children are learning. When you talk to your children, you can ask about specific lessons and show curiosity to encourage them to remember what they learn in school. This will also encourage your child to study better since he/she knows that you are looking forward to hearing about the newest things that they learned in class. Your child will strive hard to get high grades because your child knows that you will be happy and proud to see him/her achieving something.

Read together when you are home. Choose a book together. Talk about the different chapters, characters and plot. This is a great way to stay in tune with our children and is mutually rewarding.

Organize study times. Setting a specific time for studying and homework establishes a routine and encourages children to be mindful of deadlines. Ideally, study time should be scheduled an hour after meals when children are well rested and the when the stomach has already digested the meals. It is important that your child is well rested so that he/she has enough energy to finish his/her homework. It is also important to allot an hour for the past meal to be digested so that your child will not feel lethargic since the body is concentrating its energy on the digestive system. You can ask your children’s guardian to ensure that they stick to the schedule.

Communicate with the teacher. Let the teacher of your children know the setup of your family so that the teacher will be able to handle your children’s situation more appropriately. You will be also able to learn more about your children’s performance and the problems that they encounter in school. You can work with the teacher to resolve any problems regarding your child. In this day and age, some teachers even welcome communication with parents by email.

Set clear goals. Even high expectations, as long as they are realistic, will give children the confidence to perform at their full potential since they know that you believe in them. Goal-setting is also a great way to teach children how to work around their schedules and be properly organized.

It may take time to teach children good study habits and to have a study schedule. But everything is possible even if the parent is away.

With determination, patience and hard work, even OFW parents can play an active role in their children’s education.

Source: Parenting Tips for Overseas Working Moms

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