Back to school is its own special kind of joy.
Life has been so much fun for a very long time (6 or so weeks) but normal is what I crave most after all the sun and storms of December. Sounds so uncomplicated, right? So easy to achieve on paper, right?
Let me make it easy, just do these 4 things.
Oh, and the uniform, if your school does that. Does everything still fit and did you clean it last year? The school bag, did you clean out the banana? And the lifts, have you arranged transport? Textbooks, do you have to do those still?
And…oh well. I tried to keep it easy.
Here’s my original 4.
One…get the date right.
Of all the things, in all the childhoods across the world, waking your kids up a day early for school and driving into an empty parking lot, has to get a special mention. You had an inkling, which you ignored, as you drove traffic free all the way, which got you there even early. The utter deflation somewhat abated by this little win.
Two…label the stationery and books.
Label everything, they need their ‘stuff’ to do some of the heavy lifting around school. Kids have very little to call their own at this point so they really aren’t used to keeping track of the ‘stuff’ that must follow them around all day. Labelling everything makes sure that some of their lost stuff follows them back. It is also really great to see your name on your stuff.
Three…if they’re excited don’t fix it
If they are excited, be excited too. If they aren’t excited, be excited for them. It’s hard enough getting kids to wade through setwork books and history projects without them also thinking school is for chumps and enjoying it is the worst possible thing they could think of doing. Think about all the wonderful things you’re going to learn, the art you’ll do, the drama productions, the games at break. It is going to be fantastic.
Four…lunch
The fridge they raided all holiday will be staying at home. Their grazing access will be rudely taken away with pesky timetables and intruding classes. Pack enough to get them through the day. It’s a great time to start a new habit, if they are old enough get them packing some of it. Add as many healthy options as you can fit in and hope their hunger drives them through the ick response and gets them munching on carrots, seed bread, cheese blocks, fruit, yogurt, and anything that keeps their blood sugar stable.
You’ve got this.
Happy 2022 good people,
Lauren
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