Modeling Seeking Support
Erasing the Stigma of Asking for Help Can Benefit Generations to Come
I’m a giver by nature. Whenever I see a need, be it for a loved one or a stranger, I’m ready to jump right in and serve. It comes naturally and easily. The flip side, though… being on the receiving end and asking for help? It’s not so easy. How about you?
My dearest friend and I were recently driving up to see the local blooming wildflowers, chatting about life, kids, and work. I asked her what she thought parents are looking for in regards to help with tutoring. What she said rather surprised me. She admitted that, as a mom, she had trouble wanting to seek out tutoring because of the stigma. Tutoring was for people with disabilities, not her family, surely.
“But, I tutored your daughter!” I said, surprisedly.
“Yes, but that was because I’d come to my wits end,” she confessed.
So, we talked about what coming to the end of her rope had looked & felt like. It had been during the quarantine, her daughter was struggling to make connections in math in her Zoom classroom, and my friend’s efforts weren’t helping her daughter progress. She eventually turned to me for help. I delightedly tutored her daughter, playing our way through fractions with Oreos, pizzas, and pattern blocks. Fractions are fun, once you get the hang of them, and her daughter did just that. Pretty soon, she was working independently and our brief tenure came to a close. Fun fact: fast forward 3 years later and her daughter is not only doing well in math but she’s soaring through Compaction Math!! She truly went from floundering to FLOURISHING!
My friend’s daughter has an even deeper gift from this experience, if you ask me. She knows firsthand that when she hits a stumbling block in her life, there’s experts who can help her learn and navigate her way through challenges. She understands that leaning on others can be a relief—joyful, even! She has the gift of being part of the Giving Cycle: sometimes the recipient and other times the giver.
We are stronger and uplifted together. When adults are able to model seeking support, our kids learn this valuable, lasting lesson.
Should you need, it would my joy to offer you a place to see your child expertly supported, playfully engaged in learning, and graduating on to new realms independently.
With joy,
Amy
