It's mid-August... that means summer vacation is creeping to an end, depending upon your child's first day of school. For some it even starts next week. Summer time and the livin' was easy! Just thinking about the start of school can be stressful for kids. New teachers, new classrooms, new friends, new expectations, new routines. On top of that, just getting back into the swing of things--the school day routines--is not only stress producing but it can be a real challenge after the lazy, … [Read more...] about Get Ready for the New School Year!
Transitions
Hurrying is the Enemy
The outing to Starbucks with our two year old grandtoddler was perfect. Not a glitch. No screaming, no crying, no collapsing into a heap, no refusal to walk, no running into the street, no running away. And not one single tantrum. The joys of being a grandparent. Admittedly, the walk which usually takes 15 minutes each way, took two hours. But it came off without a hitch. Why? I am no special grandparent. I have no tricks up my sleeve. (Ok. Well, maybe a few.) But what I do know is … [Read more...] about Hurrying is the Enemy
Back-to-School Blues
“I’m a wreck!” was the reply from my client, mother of two elementary school age kids, when I asked her how things were going. Her children had started back to school the week before. And, truth be told, they were doing great. Both liked their teachers, classes, friends, and were happily back in the ritual and routine of school days. There was a good reason for that. Children just seem to do so much better within the structure naturally imposed by being in school. Their predictable lives … [Read more...] about Back-to-School Blues
The After-Burn of Starting School
Summer time, and the livin’ is [was] easy, as the song goes. And there it went! There can be a whole lot more to starting school than starting school. Whether a child is beginning preschool, third grade, middle or high school, after a long summer or just an extended period at home, starting a school or going back to school is a big change and a big deal. It reverberates the most when the child is not actually at school. After a full day of changing classes, lining up, raising hands, … [Read more...] about The After-Burn of Starting School
“I Don’t Want To Go To School!”
Now that the school year has begun, it won’t be long before one morning you’ll awaken to the declaration, “I don’t want to go to school.” It’s a cry, actually more of a plea, which every parent is likely to face at least once, if not ten times, each school year. It’s never music to your ears. Not wanting to go to school for the younger child or proclaiming “I’m not going to school” for the older ones, can challenge even the most savvy parent. How easy life would be if there were a one size … [Read more...] about “I Don’t Want To Go To School!”
When A Pet Dies. Part 2 – for children 7 years and older
“So, how do you handle the death of a pet when your child is older than 7 years?” asked a client after reading my previous blog, When a Pet Dies. Good question. As children grow and mature, they begin to understand death differently. Children older than 7 years are able to see death as permanent. The dead pet is not coming back, ever. But the child is still young in his understanding, so he could engage in what is known as “magical thinking.” What he thinks, actually could happen. For … [Read more...] about When A Pet Dies. Part 2 – for children 7 years and older