I have an unsettling feeling that more and more of these “maxed-out” kids with “gung-ho” moms will show up in our Vancouver school system. With the influx of Asian immigration in Greater Vancouver, it is not uncommon to find Asian parents with exceedingly high expectations for their children.

A few months ago, one of these “gung-ho” moms came to my office for help. Over the years, she has channeled a great deal of financial resources and time investment into her only son, a grade 6 boy who speaks Mandarin as his first language. The problem: the investment does not match the return.

Apparently, this boy has a language-based learning disability and is already “maxed-out” in terms of his efforts. He is already doing his best and is getting a “C” grade in school. This, unfortunately, is not good enough for his “gung-ho” mom. To her credit, she suspected something was wrong with her son and she came to us. We told her the truth: her son has a language-based learning disability and unless he has appropriate intervention, he will continue to stay up until 1a.m. each day to do his homework and still get a “C”.

Then guess what? The “gung-ho” mom exhibited a classic denial response. “No, my son is only lazy. “ was the defensive remark made. Now don’t forget this mother came to us suspecting something was amiss, and she wanted us to find her the answer!

Both my associate and I shook our heads as we said a little silent prayer for the “gung-ho” mom and son duo as they left our office. The boy will have a difficult time ahead of him. He is already showing signs of rebellion and emotional distress.

To our dear colleagues in the school system, we support you and empathize with you. Remember to take a deep breath and put on a smile as you hear out these “gung-ho” moms at your next Teacher-Parent Meeting.

September and October are my favorite months of the year. The intense summer heat is gone and the air is nice and crisp in the mornings. Everyday when I go to work, I drive through the University of British Columbia and see all those young and eager smiling faces. It sure brings back memories of my UBC days as an eager undergrad there.

I spent a great deal of time in the library when I was studying Art history at UBC for my B.A. degree. Reading was and is still one of my favorite past times. It is hard to imagine what life would be like without books and reading. Yet, as one who specializes in dyslexia and language-based learning disabilities, I am very much aware that there are some students who cannot read and each day in school is like torture to them.

Young children with reading difficulties are known to have tummy aches and all kinds of “ailments” when confronted by reading tasks. I can sympathize with these children because I also have similar problems when feeling overly stressed. For children who cannot read, much of their frustration comes from the fact that they are unable to articulate their reading problem to adults. Frankly speaking, many adults don’t even know what dyslexia is!

In my next blog, I will share an interesting case that I had encountered just before school was out for the summer. Let me just call it “The Story of a Maxed-Out Kid with a Gung-Ho Mom.”

Until next time…