Back to School Tips for Parents
August 20, 2010
Well it’s back to school time and for all your parents, here are some back to school tips .
Congratulate yourself. Especially if you have teenagers and you have made it through the summer resisting the urge to hit them, very gently of course, over the head with a baseball bat.
Going back to school can make any child nervous. They may be worried about new classmates, more homework, even where they will sit in the cafeteria, Be sensitive to their concerns. This means that you should hide the calendar where you have
been marking off the days until they return to school, and at least act attentive when they share your concerns. Saying “Get over it.” or ” I’m free , I’m free at last “, is probably not a sensitive response.
When your child comes home from his or her first day of school, act like you have been worried about them all day. Do not mention the leisurely bath you took in the morning, the coffee and your favorite book, your lunch date with your best friend and your shopping spree at the Mall. Instead, pretend you were lying around all day, hoping they had a good day. And you are lying!
When your neighbor, the teacher, comes dragging home resist the temptation to say, ” I had a great day!!! And how was yours? “
Do not say to the bus driver, “You mean you bring them back EVERYDAY? “
Aw shucks, you sure miss making the little tykes lunch, It so nice and peaceful around the … whoops, you meant to say, Gosh I miss the screaming and the fighting with her brother and the whining and the “Take me to ….” But it is SO nice and QUIET.
Do not write to the School Board suggesting they think about year-round school or extending the school day by – hmm – five hours. That would give you time for cocktails , whoops! Remember you miss the little tykes…
Remember school supplies do NOT include a bottle of wine and a note to the teacher that says THANK YOU, thank you very, very, very much.
Isn’t it nice to sit at work and not worry about them drowning the cat, flooding the basement for a swimming pool, setting each other on fire, And you DO miss the hourly calls. “Mom, I am SO bored’. Mom can you leave the car at home so I can drive to …, Mom, can
I get a tattoo. I am 13 and I think…, Mom – he is picking on me again. Mom, hmm, the window got broken, but it’s NOT MY fault….Mom, is it okay if I have a boy over and we take a nap, just a nap, I promise, a nap together? “
You can actually talk to adults who don’t say, “Well, he started it.” Whoops , I mean, gosh you miss the little tykes.
And of course the kids have been sleeping late every morning and they have to get back on schedule. So it makes perfect sense to send them to bed at 8 p.m. the last two weeks before they go to school. After all, they do have to adjust to a new schedule and you have your husband have the candles and the wine and even the time!
