 Here We Go Again
Another summer is coming to an end which means the activity at the
school is revving up to a roar. Students and families are in
and out of the building already with summer school and registering
new students.
The end of August and the beginning of September bring a bag of
mixed feelings. For the students, they are typically excited
to start a new year, see friends that they haven't seen all summer,
and get back into a regular routine. At the same time, they
mourn the loss of freedom that the summer vacation offers along
with the carefree nature of being a kid without homework,
assisgnments, schedules, and alarm clocks.
Parents go through the same kinds of feelings. When I was
growing up, my mom never wanted summer to end because we had so
much fun as a family during our time off. As a parent, I
understand the complexity of this time of year. I am ready
for my daughters to have something else to fill their time, but at
the exact same time, I will miss being able to just decide at the
drop of a hat to spend the day reading, walking, and playing games
with the girls.
The best way to deal with the mixed emotions and anxieties
associated with starting a new school year is to prepare and meet
the challenge head on. This means a variety of things.
For starters, take a look at the time your child is going to
bed. Now is a great time to start moving the bedtime closer
and closer to the bedtime that will be used during the school
year. It's a great time to increase physical activity to get
the bodies active and to use up the penned up energy. What
better time to get closer to your child by playing games that will
hone their school skills. Play games that involve reasoning,
reading, math, spelling, a need to follow directions, and a need to
have periods of sitting still. Not only does this bring you
closer to your child by increasing the time spent with them, but it
also reminds them that you have their education as a priority and
you are an advocate for their education.
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