Every family has their own way of dealing with this time of year and mine is no exception.  Welcome to the bedlam of getting four kids, ten years apart ready for another fun-filled year of teachers, books and more homework than you can shake a stick at. (I don’t really know much about shaking sticks, but I’m sure we have far too much homework to worry about it anyway.)

It’s natural for everyone to feel a little anxious about returning to school after a summer of free time and relaxing.  It’s hard to make the move to living more and more inside and the challenges of school, homework, sports and music.  Add to that any hope of precious free time to just play and it can be a tall order for sure, but not impossible.  Take a deep breath and plan, that’s what works for us.

The single most important thing to do BEFORE school gets crazy is to prioritize.  My list looks something like this.  1. Family, 2. School, 3. Play, 4. Sports, 5. Music.  Even looking at my list makes my pulse quicken just a little.  How will it work this year?    Weekend games or games an hour away on a school night can be a real threat to family dinners.  Teaching my kids that unstructured time to play and laugh and just breathe is important and should be prioritized, can be a struggle.  In a world that is all about shuttling our kids from this to that and back again, it’s not always easy to be the lone voice in the wilderness saying let’s build a fort on a Tuesday afternoon.  Kids buy into the constant messaging all around them and feel like a day without an appointment is odd.  Still, I believe in play and I believe in family play, so it’s on my list.

School is the easy one.  No doubt we will all get to school and do our best.  My kids set up around the kitchen table for homework.  All four of them stake out a space and everyone has areas of expertise if a sibling needs some help.  It means so much to me to see them working side-by-side and helping when needed.  It’s a great review for some and a treat for others to help out the older ones by sharpening a pencil or getting the calculator.  The homework table is an experiment in teamwork five nights a week.

Sports and music are important too.  Our rule of thumb is one after school activity that is physical, (lets you work up a good sweat) and one that is for self-expression, (music is a great artistic outlet and painting is great too.)  Playing on a team does more for self-confidence and self control than almost anything else and it is another way to build the family team by cheering each other on.  Artistic expression helps a child channel their emotions into beauty and that is a life skill for coping with challenges at any age.

So now you have it, my list and my priorities for my family.  Yours may be different because your family is different.  This is a personal process, but what really matters is that we take the time to think about it.  What does a great school year look like for you?  Set your goals and you can reach them.  Enjoy your family and don’t be afraid to follow your instincts.

 

Keep me posted.

 

Marilynn

Categories: General

This entry was posted on Monday, August 26th, 2013 at 10:36 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.