September! It always brings up feelings of a new start, new year, fresh perspective. As a kid, it felt like a growth marker: you’re one year older, one grade higher, a couple inches taller, a few pounds heavier, and way more capable. As a parent, September is a reminder that your kids are growing up. With the early fall breeze cooling off the afternoons, it sparks all the feels.
And then….reality check.
Are all the school forms in? When does soccer start? Do the summer sneakers still fit?
Just when you thought you got used to the summer schedule, it’s back to school. And with it comes a ton of things on the to-do list, and some things that never even make the to-do list because you forget to put it on there.
September can be an absolute scramble to get back to the daily pattern of having school in our lives. But when you listen to our podcast guest Christine Koh, you start to get the feeling that it can be a manageable scramble.
If you’re in the Boston area, you probably know the site bostonmamas.com – that’s Christine’s brainchild. She’s a former neuroscientist that decided to use her data-gathering and analysis skills to sift through a lot of the parenting info that’s out there, and organize the useful stuff that then appears in her blog, podcast, and book. And on our podcast, she talks about handling that September shuffle.
Couple things I find as the takeaways from her stories: the one-activity-a-semester rule, and having kids do their part. It won’t eliminate everything you have to do to in September, but it might just make things a little more streamlined. Check out our podcast with Christine – and happy back-to-school season!
Listen to Ep. 20: Summer’s Over! Back to School on Soundcloud or on BrightHorizons.com.
I’m Naoko, graduate of the two-under-two club and producer of The Work-Life Equation podcast series. I’m constantly searching for the perfect balance point between work, life, parenting, friendships, and playing sports. I’m not a good sleeper, never was, and now will NEVER BE but I’m so in love with my incredibly fierce duo!
What to Read Next:
- E-news: Time for School – Are You Prepared?
- E-news: Making Happiness Happen: Building Resilience in Children
- Read more posts about back to school or posts about managing stress from the Family Room bloggers
The post The September Shuffle appeared first on The Family Room.
