There are some things you may want to read if you have a child who is entering Fourth Grade.
"The Wisdom of Waldorf: Education for the Future" by Rahima Baldwin Dancy discusses how the culture change prepares children for the future. The article "Parenting the Nine Year Old" first appeared in Mothering Magazine in the Summer of 1989 and I think reading it helped me understand the challenges my daughter faces.
Apparently, there is an important change in nine year olds marking the end of early childhood and the transition to a new developmental phase. The nine year old no longer learns through imitation and feels more of a separation from the world. They suddenly see themselves as a separate being.
Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Waldorf Education, writes that your nine year old may become very critical, argumentative, or very moody and withdrawn. Nightmares, irrational fears, headaches and stomachaches often arise. Sometimes they feel that no one at school likes them or become self-conscious about feeling different in any way.
Sometimes parents spend a lot of time looking for reasons for the change in behavior, so understanding the innate changes taking place may help alleviate some stress.
Dancy's article offers some parenting tips. Including: Let your child own her own feelings. You may not be able to "fix" everything for her. Share your thoughts on subjects that go beyond everyday life and let your child learn more about you as an adult. And have a little patience, they claim 10 is a much calmer year!
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