Welcome to School: Conclusion to Back to School Readiness

The first day of school is right around the corner. Are you ready to hear welcome to school? If you have followed along with the series you are more then ready to go!

For the ones that are just joining us here is the break down of the past weeks:

• The introduction includes the free printable checklist
• Week 1: Plan it out includes free printable planner and important date reminders
• Week 2: Get Organized the basics included free printable shopping list templates
• Week 3: Organized to the extreme included printable meal plan and chore list
• Week 4: Morning Vs Night Changing your routines and implementing a few changes can change your whole school year
• Week 5: Home Ready: Get your home ready for the kiddos and you to succeed this school year, plus a free printable babysitter worksheet
• Week 6: Who Has Time to Cook. A collection of minimal effort minimal clean-up meals to get you through your busy week.
• Week 7: School Ready includes a double checklist to ensure you are ready to go.

Now there is something I haven’t touched base on and that is the emotional thoughts that come with the first day of school. You know that “oh my baby is growing up too fast why can’t they been little forever,” mixed with “thank god summer is over, now they can’t complain they are board,” with a dab of “am I doing the right thing sending them to school will they be safe.”

I will be the first to say the last emotional thought shouldn’t be a normal thought us parents should have, but it is the sad world we live in and it is a concern. How will we change this? I am afraid to say only time will tell. So make sure you hug them and say I love you every day because you never know what day will be the last… hopefully many many many years down the road.

If you can take the first day of school morning off of work so you can take them and take it all in. Now, I know that is not possible for many parents, I used to be one of them.  Whatever the reason, your boss believes your work comes before family, or you are a single parent working your butt off to pay bills, or you had a family emergency and used up all your time off allowance.

If you are a parent that wants to take them but are unable to don’t let that stop you from making this memorable. Here is what I did.

First, create a board (or buy a back to school board).  On this board, it will say your kids age, their grade, their favorite something (food, color, band, show) and finally when I grow up I want to be…

The last part is the most important. The part that says when I grow up I want to be.  Here is why I believe that. When our kids are young, they don’t have a sense of reality, they are fearless, open-minded, non-judgmental, outgoing, and just badasses about their hopes and dreams for the future.  As they get older it changes, it could be because they found new interests, but most of the time reality and the world gets in.  I think it is healthy to feed our kids their passions even at a young age and teach them that even the impossible can be possible.

Whether it be a bus driver, circus clown, or a superhero let them be free to be them. You never know what it will turn into.

Now if you can’t be they’re on the first day of school here is what you do. They do this for college grads all the time. Have your kiddo’s put their first day of school outfit on, drive over to the school with the signs and take your pictures. Keep that memory just like one would on the actual first day of school.

Okay, for those of you dropping off your kids.  See if there is a school group of parents that are meeting up at a local café or bar after dropping off.  This is a great opportunity to get to know other parents in the school, especially if it is your first year or you are new to town. It is always nice to know other parents.

Before I go and end this series one more piece of advice.  Find some upbeat music to dance too after dropping off and grab some Kleenex these are the only prescriptions you will need for the back to school emotional imbalance.

Now it is time, to say good-bye and good luck on this upcoming school year. I hope you make the most of it, take lots of pictures, enjoy this season of parent hoot and have a less stressful year than the years past!