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Summer is
winding down and August means the beginning a new school year. For
me, that means my children go back to college and my life suddenly
gets simpler. But for parents with children still at home, the new
school year requires some adjustments for parents and children.
Readjusting to
school and settling into a morning routine can be two flash points
for families. With a little thought, understanding and planning you
can make these transactions easier.
For children,
the transition from summer to school can be difficult. Children
often have a lot of unstructured time in the summer, may not have to
get up at a regular time, and can deeply dread the return to school.
As adults, we often forget that the return to school is a big
change! A new teacher, new classmates, and a more rigid schedule are
big challenges!
Consider also
that the child that you send off to school this fall is not the same
person who went off to school last year. Their interests may have
changed, they may have undergone physical changes, their old friends
may have moved on, and the teacher that they wanted did not
materialize. And if they are making one of those big transitions:
from kindergarten to elementary, elementary to middle school, or
junior high tot high school their anxiety can be high! These and
other factors can mean your children must redesign some of the
aspects of their life. This is hard for adults and often even
harder for children.
Patience,
understanding, and encouragement are called for as each school year
begins. Some children adjust well, hardly missing a beat in their
new school life. A few children find adjustment more difficult.
Those are the ones we, as parents, need to shower with patience,
understanding, and encouragement. Given a few weeks, or a month or
two, most of them will also adjust.
Hectic schedules
and hurried mornings often add to the family stress. Think now about
how to streamline that routine! Getting organized in advance is the
best solution. If you prepare at the end of the day for the morning
to come, it can make it easier for children and family.
For example,
selecting clothing for the next day, especially for younger
children, is one way to plan ahead. Fold and stack clothing as it
comes from the laundry into compatible outfits and then let children
choose the night before what they want to wear.
School books
always seem to pull a disappearing act in the mornings, so locate
and stack these together in the evening, along with backpacks,
school lunch money, notes and other needs. This can save valuable
moments, not to mention tempers. A check list of what is needed
each morning can help. If lunch money is due on Monday, band
instruments must go to school on Tuesday and Thursday, and P.E.
clothes on Wednesday…then put those things on a posted list of
things to be gathered the night before.
Parents also
need to teach children to be responsible for getting up. An alarm
clock or radio is a good way to start. Teach a child to use and set
it. Younger children may need encouragement to get up but nagging,
begging and pleading are not effective motivators and can even cause
a cloud of gloom to gather over the household.
Organization and communication can
help maintain family sanity. But even at the best of times there
are questionable moments--that is just part of raising children.
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