By Jeff Simmons, IDLA Superintendent
My wife and I recently went whitewater rafting on the Payette River with friends. It never ceases to amaze me how magnificent our state is! I can float down some Class 3 rapids and make it home for dinner in my own home. We live in a tremendous state for outdoor activities.
Before we boarded our raft, we listened to the safety talks, made sure our life vests were strapped on tight, and learned how to help someone who came out of the raft get back into the raft. Once on board, our river guide, Filip, from the Czech Republic, taught us how to row together. We had to learn how to row forwards and backward and do it together. Once we were ready to go, Filip guided us through the rapids, making something potentially life-threatening a fun two-hour journey.
We celebrated with cold water and soda at the journey’s end and took a bus ride back to the starting point. The river guides even made the bus ride fun by telling corny jokes (“What’s the difference between a large pizza and a river guide? One of them can feed a family of four!”). It was a wonderful experience, and I would recommend it to anyone!
As a parent, supporting your children in school can be like the experience of our river guide, Filip. First, you must ensure everyone has put on their life vests. Next, you have to get the right people in the raft and get them to row the right way. And, finally, you try to make sure everyone enjoys the journey.
Put On Your Life Vests
Is your home a safe place for your children? Of course, as parents, we try to ensure the answer to this question is yes. What about the other places your children go? Is that also a safe place? Would they know what to do if their environment suddenly becomes unsafe? If so, well done! You’re ready to hit the water. If not, maybe it’s time for that pre-float safety talk.
What happens if someone comes out of the raft once you’re on the water? Whether it’s your child or someone else in their network, it’s up to you, as the river guide, to act. You direct the swimmer to where they need to go, and you direct those in the raft where they need to go. Finally, you and the others in the raft pull them back into the network. We all work together to succeed, or we fail individually.
Learn to Row Together
You have to have the right people in your child’s network. Who are those people you want to be in their lives (in the raft)? Identify them, and then make sure you’re all rowing together. As I overheard from another river guide, “We will all either row together, or we’ll all swim together.”
Filip would tell us when and which way to row in the raft. He’d tell us when to start and when to stop. He’d praise us when we rowed well and encourage us when we needed to dig a little deeper.
The other thing that only Filip did was steer the raft. We made the raft go forward, but he directed its path. Who steers your child’s raft as they are navigating their learning? Be the river guide for your children when they are young, and then give them a chance to steer as they learn the water and are ready to take the paddle.
Celebrate!
Every time we successfully navigated a rapid, Filip would lead us all in a cheer (paddle high five!) Our river guides did their best to keep the journey fun, including the bus ride back to the parking lot. They put intentional effort into making the day fun. Filip named one of the rapids Taylor Swift because it started strong and then kind of fizzled out (sorry, Swifties).
How do you intentionally celebrate your child’s successes? Do things go up on the fridge where they can be displayed for everyone to see? Is an ice cream cone in someone’s future if they do well on their next test? When was the last time you praised your child for something they improved upon?
We are not just raft guides for our children but also their head cheerleaders. If we don’t celebrate them, then who will? Doing the little things, like telling corny jokes on the bus, makes a big difference in their lives.
If you have a chance to float the Payette River, do it! Paddling the rapids is something we can do in Idaho that is unique to our state. If you can’t float the river, at least still play the role of river guide for your children. They will appreciate your support and care and excel as you and your network row them forward together.
