By now we have all passed the first week of being back in school, and now we are faced with a new set of challenges. How do we keep the excitement of school for them, balance the schedules, and stay involved with everything. The first week or so is hectic, but the following months are not only just as bad, but sometimes get even worse.
Once kids are settled in and get to know each other, there will be arguments with friends. This is a great learning opportunity for children as they need to learn how to overcome conflict now so they don't get bogged down in it later, but its' so hard to have your child come home after having an argument with a friend. I remind her that sometimes she doesn't always like what mommy says, but we still love each other no matter what, and that she can still be friends with someone who did something she didn't like. If it gets bad enough or is continual it may be necessary to get the other parent or the teacher involved in finding a solution, but at a young age it usually just works itself out. That's where these short attention spans become useful!
I can no longer use the first day of school as an excuse for being too busy to do other things. It's not anynore, so clearly I must now have a wide open schedule. Maybe this will be true when she is old enough to be in school all day every day, but that currenly isn't the case, and I still need to transport her to and from, as well as extracurriculars, plus any volunteering I do in the class, and then al the normal household things. Sure, it's not the worst balancing act as I only have one so far, but it isn't as easy as letting her sleep in all summer so I can do my chores :)
As the school year goes, there will always be just one more thing to become involved in. Classrooms need help and support sometimes, fieldtrips seem to multiply after Christmas (I almost forgot how much work Christmas is too!) and some activity somewhere is always fundraising. I also notice that somehow my friends with older children now have more spare time then they did all summer, so I can finally plan some coffee dates and afternoon movies, just as long as I can fit them in!
You also enter the time where all the new clothes have been worn, and now they aren't new anymore. Everyone in the class has seen them already so it's harder to agree on an outfit, and I am NOT buying a new outfit for every day of the year. I like to think picking it out the night before is more efficient, but it never holds in the morning so I've given up.
School also encourages independance, which is usually a great thing, until I need cooperation and agreement and get "I just don't like it that way" The more I teach her to be independant the more I wonder if it really is easier or if I'm just making my own life more difficult. Then she packs her own snack for school and I know that it's going to be very helpful.
Drama isn't only with the children either. As the moms get to know each other they go through the same growth steps and making friends as the kids do, but there is no one to regulate those disagreeements or to help you choose which of the moms is the most compatable friend for you. We are all thrown into a group with people from so many different walks of life and lifestyles and we need to find where we fit in the group, in some cases you will need ot work with these people for 12 years of school, so it's best to get along.
I keep telling myself that the faster I get into a routine the easier it will be to get through the year, but finding that routine is taking some time. Maybe I just need a bigger coffee and a longer playdate...
Once kids are settled in and get to know each other, there will be arguments with friends. This is a great learning opportunity for children as they need to learn how to overcome conflict now so they don't get bogged down in it later, but its' so hard to have your child come home after having an argument with a friend. I remind her that sometimes she doesn't always like what mommy says, but we still love each other no matter what, and that she can still be friends with someone who did something she didn't like. If it gets bad enough or is continual it may be necessary to get the other parent or the teacher involved in finding a solution, but at a young age it usually just works itself out. That's where these short attention spans become useful!
I can no longer use the first day of school as an excuse for being too busy to do other things. It's not anynore, so clearly I must now have a wide open schedule. Maybe this will be true when she is old enough to be in school all day every day, but that currenly isn't the case, and I still need to transport her to and from, as well as extracurriculars, plus any volunteering I do in the class, and then al the normal household things. Sure, it's not the worst balancing act as I only have one so far, but it isn't as easy as letting her sleep in all summer so I can do my chores :)
As the school year goes, there will always be just one more thing to become involved in. Classrooms need help and support sometimes, fieldtrips seem to multiply after Christmas (I almost forgot how much work Christmas is too!) and some activity somewhere is always fundraising. I also notice that somehow my friends with older children now have more spare time then they did all summer, so I can finally plan some coffee dates and afternoon movies, just as long as I can fit them in!
You also enter the time where all the new clothes have been worn, and now they aren't new anymore. Everyone in the class has seen them already so it's harder to agree on an outfit, and I am NOT buying a new outfit for every day of the year. I like to think picking it out the night before is more efficient, but it never holds in the morning so I've given up.
School also encourages independance, which is usually a great thing, until I need cooperation and agreement and get "I just don't like it that way" The more I teach her to be independant the more I wonder if it really is easier or if I'm just making my own life more difficult. Then she packs her own snack for school and I know that it's going to be very helpful.
Drama isn't only with the children either. As the moms get to know each other they go through the same growth steps and making friends as the kids do, but there is no one to regulate those disagreeements or to help you choose which of the moms is the most compatable friend for you. We are all thrown into a group with people from so many different walks of life and lifestyles and we need to find where we fit in the group, in some cases you will need ot work with these people for 12 years of school, so it's best to get along.
I keep telling myself that the faster I get into a routine the easier it will be to get through the year, but finding that routine is taking some time. Maybe I just need a bigger coffee and a longer playdate...
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