Everyone is Back to School!

Back to school time is filled with so many emotions, especially for the parents and teachers out there!

For some it’s joyful! There’s the excitement of seeing your child become their own person. Watching them make friends, maybe have their first crush, play sports, learn an instrument, and join the age old club of “are we ever going to actually use this thing we’re learning?”

For others back to school is stressful. How will I get my child to and from school with my job? What if they have trouble making friends? How will I manage all the activities that start at the same time? Will I be able to afford everything that’s expected as part of a new school year? What if a bully targets my kid?

Some parents experience freedom. There’s freedom in your child being back at school instead of home for the summer. There’s new conversation at the dinner table every night (and maybe, just maybe, a parent out there will get an actual answer to “How was your day today?” that isn’t just “Fine.”).

Many parents struggle, especially that first school year. “My child has never been away from me this long, will they be okay? Will I be okay?” There’s a feeling of loss when your child starts to become independent.

For the teachers, there’s so many feelings about the new school year that I simply could not describe them all here. Excitement, joy, sadness, frustration, fear, and compassion. As a child of a public school teacher: Teachers, I salute you! One of the hardest, most important jobs in the world! So many of us owe you for who we have become because we can name that teacher that made a difference in our lives. That believed in us. So from the bottom of my heart: thank you.

No matter where you are on the “back to school emotional scale”, and it is okay to be all over that scale depending on the specific day, we wanted to give some brief reminders:

1. Enjoy the season the best you can! With back to school comes the start of so many activities and the fall season. Look for the joy in this season!

2. Set new goals. What do you want to experience this season? Maybe set a new goal between now and the new year? (Maybe make that goal a new tattoo!)

3. Take a breath. Everything gets so busy once September hits. All the holidays start, kids in school, activities bustling, etc. Pause. Take a moment for yourself and just take a deep breath.

Most of all: happy back to school everyone!