New notebooks, binders and backpacks are quietly surfacing in most homes and there is the unmistakable sound of pencils sharpening all around us.  No doubt about it, it’s time to get ready for a new school year.  How do you go from the lazy days of summer, (okay, maybe not exactly lazy days) to the hustle and bustle of a new school year?  How do you set your family up for a successful and even, dare I say it, fun school year?

Everyone has their own approach and in most families, different kids may need different things, but like anything else, the recipe for a good year depends a lot on the ingredients.  It’s a little like one of those reality cooking shows in that some ingredients are just given and must be included.

You probably won’t need to figure out how to make fish heads sound good, but chances are you will need to be creative on how to get your kids excited for double period chemistry, Mrs. Always Cranky for homeroom, homework measured by pounds instead of minutes?  No matter how you slice it, there are some ingredients that might as well be fish heads floating around in your otherwise fabulous stew.

So here’s where your marketing and PR training comes in, here’s where stealth health, (like your zucchini brownies) meets the good old fashioned spoon full of sugar.  This is parenting at its peak.  Not for amateurs but yes, you absolutely must try this at home.  This is the time to get your kids ready for what might be the best school year ever.  In fact, that’s exactly the attitude you need to ignite.

Here are some ideas to help get your family psyched for this amazing year.

1. Stay positive!  Don’t borrow trouble.  So far, this is a great academic year.  Kids grow and schools change over the summer.  Things that might not have been ideal last year may already be resolved.  Maybe Mrs. Always Cranky cured her insomnia and is now Mrs. Morning Person, maybe double period chemistry is where your child first discovers a love of detail and maybe there is a new homework policy that will return your child to the wonders of play after working so hard in school all day.  Maybe not, but it is at least possible.  The most important thing to open this fall may not be a book; it may be your mind.  Come back to school with an open mind and hopeful expectations for a great year.  Replace fear with faith.
2. Do your homework as a parent.  Are your kids friends moving away?  Reach out to the new kids arriving at your school.  The new kids will be glad to have a friend and your child will discover that helping someone else feel welcome feels great and builds confidence too.
3. Does your child struggle with Math? English? History?  Get help now.  Why wait for an old issue to come back?  Arrange for tutors to help from the beginning; don’t wait until the test scores hit the fan!  Right now your child can have the best help and first pick of the time slots, reach out to teachers, tutors and friends and help your child get an all access pass to less school stress.
4. If making friends makes your kid nauseous you can help with that too.  Befriending new kids, joining teams or afterschool programs and clubs gives kids time to be social and structure to take the pressure off being the life of the party.  Plan for these things now, while you are still the master of your own free time.  You can decide to prioritize now or get swept up later.
5. Relax.  Learning is best when the environment is relaxed, safe and positive and guess what?  Parenting is also best that way.  You don’t have to live the whole school year in a day.  Relax and take it one step at a time.  Get a good relationship with school and support your child with an attitude of gratitude.  Your child spends most of their waking hours in school so it’s important that they know that you believe their time there is well spent.  Supporting your child means having some school spirit too, so accentuate the positive every chance you get.

So whether you feel like you are making chicken soup for the anxious or fish head stew for the reluctant, just remember to add a spoon full of sugar and serve it with a great big smile.

I’m rooting for you,

Marilynn

Categories: General

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 7th, 2013 at 11:56 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.