Everything You Need to Survive the School Season
My son will go to third grade next week, and this is the first year when instead of saying “Hurray friends and learn!” it’s more like “yes, school, great .” I can understand how he feels. He has nine months of work ahead of him, and the dude would rather watch reruns of Pokémon.
The disaster transition from a lazy summer in camps, family vacations, and extra screen time to a higher, more challenging class is not easy, and the transition affects the entire family. That’s why, if there ever was a time for hacks, this is it. So we’re going to give you everything we have to make it easier for you to start your new school year.
In the morning
This first morning will be especially hectic. The alarms won’t go off, the kids will be naughty, you spill coffee on your nice work clothes and think, “Happy New Year!”
The morning has always sucked, and we have every reason to believe that it will always suck, but who would we be if we weren’t trying to find a way to ease the morning flow ? (We’re actually too successful, so we found five ways.)
After school
If your parenting experience is anything like my parenting experience, kids are just kind of done at the end of the school day. This is true throughout the year, but is especially true at the start of the school year when they return to the habit of being “active” all day.
To get through extracurricular disruptions, you just need to accept them as part of reality; the other part is to do a few things to support them (and yourself) during the transition.
Joint upbringing
Going back to school is an attempt in the best of circumstances, but if you are raising children with your ex, things can be even more stressful. However, there are some proactive steps you can take to communicate the expectations of everyone involved and create a sense of predictability in your children.
Backpacks
Remember the 90s when wearing only one strap on a backpack was cool, and wearing both straps meant you were hopelessly boring? Fortunately, kids these days don’t seem to care about this particular brand. (Also, why did we think a winter jacket was socially acceptable only if it was unbuttoned?)
But even with two straps, these things can get surprisingly heavy and uncomfortable for kids. Here’s how to protect your child’s back from an overly heavy or poorly fitting backpack:
Homework
Homework is a necessary (?) Evil from which our children – and therefore we – cannot escape. Well, I declare that this year homework will not be as stressful in our homes, because this year we are going to help them deal with their anxiety about homework , we are going to try some of these concentration tricks, and we are going to get more approached flexibly and creatively to the fact where they really do their homework.
(Fingers crossed, everyone.)
Connection
If you want to do a cute thing for your young child that will make him think of you every day (but don’t want to write daily notes or draw five days a week on their foil-covered ham sandwich), we have an idea for you. Write sweet notes on their pencils :
Want to remember how cute their kiddie voice sounded as they all grew up and started off for their first year of college? Love this dad and interview your kids every year after their first day at school. Come on, watch the video and try not to cry.
Of course, you will want to talk to them about how their day went for all the other days after the first, but getting any details out of them becomes more and more difficult every year. They had a good day , they didn’t know anything .
This is fine; we are older and wiser, and we have ways to make them talk.
Mental health
Starting over in a new class with a new teacher (and sometimes with other classmates) is difficult. It’s like taking a new position with a new schedule once a year – except that we’re adults, so in theory we have a few more strategies for coping with stress. From time to time, we all need a mental health day – and so will our children.
Okay, now you’ve done the best you can. I wish your children a successful school year.