Welcome to Episode 1 of Their Best Parent!

As a parent myself, I was always looking for someone slightly ahead of me, sort of like a mentor or a guide, not someone who had it all together or that's what they presented. Because my life hadn't been altogether and I couldn't relate to that. But instead someone who knew that life could be tough and that each child was unique with different strengths and struggles. Someone who would encourage me that the path wasn't straightforward or easy, but was manageable in its imperfection. I wanted to be reminded that there was joy in the learning and growing, not just when we arrived at the result, but in the journey and mishaps as well. This kind of support, I knew, could bring out the best in me and I wanted my children to get and my life to represent the best of me because I knew I was going to be my child's, their best parent.

So my people have been encouraging me to share my experience and my conviction about the power of learning cause I really have a heart to support you. So here I am, taking my bravery pill and stepping in and doing my podcast.

So think of me walking alongside you, going along a nice street or in the park or in the nature setting and we're just speaking to each other about some of our common struggles. We're providing each other ideas and a smile of encouragement to say, you know, yeah, you are, you are good enough, you are their best parent. Yes, we make mistakes, we need more patience or we need to have more boundaries, yet no one will be a better support for them. It's hard to believe that we have this kind of influence on our children as we can be acutely aware of where we fall short. But for them, our children, we love them the most and as a result we are highly invested in their journey and so we are their best supporters. I am speaking to you as a person who's been there and done that.

I have some experience. I've raised four adult children. I homeschooled them through the elementary years, really idealistically as a teacher, I knew what was possible in the school system and I really wanted to give them my undivided attention and see what was possible in their education. I then supported them in their high school studies in public school and delighted in watching each of them graduate university and as they now make their way in their careers. I've also walked miles as a teacher, so twelve years as a homeschool elementary teacher and twelve years now and currently as a high school teacher. And I've invested twelve years in tutoring and building a tutoring business, hoping to create an integrated academic support system for you, the parents to draw from.

I myself love to learn and I've always sought out to learn from experts in each of the avenues I pursued. And I've put those into my practice to hone the approach of how each student can get their results and meet their goals. Yes, I see the gaps and yes, I see the themes. So I don't want to give you simple solutions, because there isn't one simple solution that's going to serve you. But I want instead and see the power of walking alongside you to help your child build strong habits in the behaviors and strategies that they understand bring them success. So this process of building their understanding of how they learn that empowers them to face future challenges. I'll share in more detail in a future podcast.

So this podcast is for you. I want to help you normalize the struggle. I want to give you tools that, when used consistently over time, will produce results. Supporting your child's academic foundation is not for the faint of heart. There will not be quick results and easy answers. And the reward is great. All of those investments of time and oversight will pay off in increments. At times you will grow weary, but do not lose heart, for in due time, you will see the fruits of your labor.

So that's that's a wrap. This ends the first episode of their best parent. Yes, that's you.

Thanks for listening.