The Adjustment Period

By Emily King

I recently read a parenting article about surviving the first few weeks of back to school. It was suggesting that you shouldn’t give into the temptation to bombard your kids with questions about their first day back right after the walk in the door. After a summer of late nights, sleeping in, and minimal academic work (I’ll be the first to admit that we never got to that summer practice workbook . . . again), those first couple weeks of school are a shock to the system for kids. The article suggested that we have minimal expectations of our kids as they get back into school mode. That means giving them a soft place to land when they get home, literally. Pile up pillows and blankets on the couch, greet them with a comforting snack and allow them to veg out with their favorite video game or movie. The younger kids will probably want extra snuggles. Order pizza for dinner. Go to bed early.

But it’s not just the kids who are in a stressful period of transition. Parents are also struggling. All of a sudden we are thrust back into the routine of packing lunches, making sure homework is done, wrestling our teenagers out of bed in the morning. Checking email and portals and apps. And of course, the sports and after school activities start all at the same time. Arranging carpools, signing up for snack duty, checking team rosters—my head is spinning just writing this out. 

And what about the teachers and school staff? Elementary school teachers are managing the excitement, nerves, and sometimes tears of dozens of kids, many of them going home to their own exhausted children. They’re fielding emails from parents, organizing classrooms, and learning the names and personalities of all their new students. 

I suggest we start September by giving everyone a collective break. Our little kids are going to be tired and cranky, our teenagers might have some extra attitude, and the teachers are just trying to get organized and keep their heads above water. The buses might be a little late as the drivers are learning new routes. School nurses are going to be inundated with back-to-school germs. Parents are going to be scatterbrained and exhausted. When we get five minutes of down time, I suggest we all put on some comfy clothes, veg out on the couch, and relax with the latest issue of Northern Connection.

We can all be organized in October.