Has anyone else seen the movie Grease 2? No, just me? Ok, well it has this great opening song about going back to school that always gets stuck in my head this time of year. Check it out here so I’m not the only one! I know a lot of kids are already back, but my kids start after Labor Day. This means I’m cramming as much fun as humanly possible into this last week. Unfortunately, this also means we only have one week to fix our messed up schedule of staying awake until 10:30 and waking up after 8. My kids have to be on the bus at 7:05!!! That’s some bullshit, honestly, but I’ll save my problems with the public school system for another post.
Here’s what I’m doing to prepare my kids, especially my soon to be kindergartener, for the harsh reality of school.
1. Bedtime by 8 pm (ish) every day this week, even on the weekend.
2. Wake up by 7:30 Tues-Th and 7:00 Fri-Mon. This shouldn’t be a problem as they’re always up earlier on the weekends.(Seriously, WTF?)
3. Friday morning is bus stop practice day for V, and B too, if he’s not being too cool for school. We’ll practice our morning routine of clothes on, eat breakfast, brush teeth, (Anyone else hearing Daniel Tiger just now?) and walking (ok, probably running, just to keep it real.) to the bus stop. This is super important because V is seriously the slowest eater on God’s green earth. Getting her to eat breakfast in under an hour may break me!
4. This Saturday I’ll be sitting down with the big kids to help them brainstorm healthy snack and lunch ideas that appeal to them, and then taking them to Kroger so they can shop their lists. Kroger has these awesome little carts for kids that make them feel like Napolean on steroids. So yeah, this might actually be a shitty idea, but I’m just going to go with it. I’m hoping that giving them ownership of their snack and lunch options will lead to empty lunch boxes and kids who don’t turn into hangry assholes on the school bus home.
5. On Sunday I’m going to take each of the big kids out on separate special dates to talk about the new school year. They can share what they’re excited about, and also any fears they might have, over an ice cream cone or other favorite treat. Processing my feelings out loud really helps me. Not everyone needs to do this, but I’m hopeful that doing it will at the very least let them know that I see them as individuals and care about their feelings, good or bad.
6. If we have time over the weekend, I’m also going to have the kids fill out this awesome letter to their teachers from Chickabug.
7. The night before school I’ll have the kids prepare for the day by packing their own lunches, setting out their new outfits and writing down what they want for breakfast in the morning. Surprisingly this decision takes the longest time every morning. We have the same 3-4 choices every day, kids! Get it together!
8. Before I go to bed I’m attempting to start a new tradition where I write a letter to my kids, a la the beautiful and amazing Glennon Doyle Melton, and leave a small gift on their beds to celebrate the start of a new school year. Then I’ll go cross my fingers, say a prayer and get some damn sleep.
Good luck to all of your little ones, and not so little ones, as they embark upon a new year of school!
🙂 Erin
Ps-Don’t forget guys, it’s ok to cry when your kids get on the bus. It makes sense. You’re the reason they’ve made it here, feeling safe, loved and independent enough to walk into that new classroom, and you can be proud of that! And if the tears you’re crying are from happiness and excitement to have your kids back at school so they can stop their god-damn, non-stop, 24/7 (may sound redundant, but it seriously needed more emphasis) fighting, I get you too! Xoxo
Great tips! I want to know their lunch plans!
Thanks! I’ll post on their ideas, and our shopping adventures, this weekend!
Whole post of “healthy snack and lunch ideas” please!
It’s on the way this week! 🙂
Back to school is always a stressful time! would love to hear about how you reform perfectionism..I’m still working on that!!
It is so stressful! My kids are are struggling with so many different emotions, and, honestly, I am too! I’m reforming very slowly. For me it’s as simple as giving myself a break when I start to beat myself up about something. I still have my moments, but with a lot of positive self-talk I’m getting there. I try to talk to myself the way I talk to my kids. I never expect them to be perfect, so why do I think I should be, you know? I wish you good luck in your journey to remember that good enough is good enough!