Are You Ready for School?
There's no question about it. I was as nervous as my children at the beginning of each school year. The beginning of September brought pre-school jitters - maybe on par with my preschoolers - mixed with both sadness and relief that the summer was over. I was awash with emotions.
My usual defense against this emotional onslaught was to go full swing into preparation and control. I made lists, schedules, daily and weekly objectives. I tried to think of everything, and I mean every little thing, that my children might need for the coming school year. If there was a sale for school supplies, I was there.
My children were as eager as I to prepare for school. Our mutual excitement hid our nervousness about the unknown that lay ahead: "Who will I know in the class? Who will the teacher be? How hard will be the work? Can I measure up? Will I make a fool of myself the first day?" I thought about these questions as much as did my children!
So I prepared further. Besides buying everything that my children did and did not need, I made the house ready for school. First, we put away the summer supplies, clothes and accessories and organized those for school; then, we bought snacks and drinks for the first few weeks and put them on a special shelf. Second, I began to wean my children off their summer time frame and put them to bed earlier. This change was not easy; although the days in any case were getting shorter many of their friends still stayed up late at night and woke up late in the morning. This change also meant I had to awaken earlier in the morning. Who wants to give up summer fun?
But I tried to stick to my preparations. I thought of this time as too important to ignore. I even tried to wake up before my children so that I could get my head together and be ready for whatever mood and behavior I might encounter.
As I look back, I remember the many days when despite my best intentions the evening or morning was tense and one or more children ended up in tears. But I tried my best. I wanted to succeed as much as did my children. We were in this together.
My usual defense against this emotional onslaught was to go full swing into preparation and control. I made lists, schedules, daily and weekly objectives. I tried to think of everything, and I mean every little thing, that my children might need for the coming school year. If there was a sale for school supplies, I was there.
My children were as eager as I to prepare for school. Our mutual excitement hid our nervousness about the unknown that lay ahead: "Who will I know in the class? Who will the teacher be? How hard will be the work? Can I measure up? Will I make a fool of myself the first day?" I thought about these questions as much as did my children!
So I prepared further. Besides buying everything that my children did and did not need, I made the house ready for school. First, we put away the summer supplies, clothes and accessories and organized those for school; then, we bought snacks and drinks for the first few weeks and put them on a special shelf. Second, I began to wean my children off their summer time frame and put them to bed earlier. This change was not easy; although the days in any case were getting shorter many of their friends still stayed up late at night and woke up late in the morning. This change also meant I had to awaken earlier in the morning. Who wants to give up summer fun?
But I tried to stick to my preparations. I thought of this time as too important to ignore. I even tried to wake up before my children so that I could get my head together and be ready for whatever mood and behavior I might encounter.
As I look back, I remember the many days when despite my best intentions the evening or morning was tense and one or more children ended up in tears. But I tried my best. I wanted to succeed as much as did my children. We were in this together.
posted by Dr. Spiegel at
10:26 AM
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