I’ll respond to post 29. Yes. Find time to explore things that are fun with your kids. This doesn’t have to cost money or even require you to leave your home. But do it. Yes, focus on social skills, behavior, manners, etc. personally, I think self esteem isn’t somehing you “teach”. It is something that comes from within the person when they feel good about what they are doing.
Re: getting a tutor…your other thread outlines your academic concerns in the area of math for one of your kids…a first grader. You need to communicate your concerns to your child’s teacher, and perhaps to the person in charge of Response to Intervention (RTI). If this is a public school, RTI is mandated, and is a regular education procedure for dealing with students who need extra help. Find out where your first grader is on the continuum in RTI, and what is being done to help him.
Re: academics…one should never ignore academic concerns, but at the same time, this is a first grader, and you also need to acknowledge all the good things this little guy is doing. Success builds success. And positives build positives. You don’t want to convey only messages of concern to your little guy. You are his parent…and you need to be supportive, and not conveying a message of urgent concern to him. In other words, don’t let this kiddo’s academic concerns define him as a person.