If you work from home, stay at home, or have booked the day off work to drop the kids off at school, and this is your first year where your child is starting kindergarten, or you are mourning the loss of summer, I have a tip for the first day of school.
This isn’t for everyone, but for those who know me, it’s not a surprise when I say that especially when the kids were just starting school, I was a bit of a mess. I held it together, the tears came in the car, but a pit sat in my stomach all day.
The first day I wondered if they were having fun and feeling okay. If they were eating enough. If they made some new friends and found old ones. Of course, now that they are entering grade 3 and 6, those worries have almost completely disappeared. The first day for them is a reunion with friends and routine.
But I remember the kindergarten drop off. The buzz of anticipation we all felt to try something new. Preschool had only been a couple mornings a week, and with different kids, in a small setting. This was a big kid school, with more of, well, everything it seemed.
So, parents, here’s my tip if you are feeling all kinds of emotion for the first day of school. Make plans. Get out of the house. Don’t sit wondering if the phone will ring (that’s what I used to think, the phone will ring for me to go get them!) but instead, spend time busying yourself.
I have a tradition that I’ve done almost every year since my son started school. Because often, my husband comes to do day 1 drop off with us, and I would then drive him to work, I would already be in the car. In the past, I typically kept driving out to a Chapters for Starbucks and browsing. Then I’d end up at Ikea often.
No matter what you decide, the point is, to get out, window shopping or visiting a friend will pass the time far better than staring at the seconds tick until the kids come home and you can see that everything is okay.
Plus, indulging in a latte or favourite morning drink of your choice is something you deserve.
You can do it, they can do it, and soon you’ll find yourself with a new routine that you’ll enjoy. The school days will become short and you’ll feel better.
Hugs to those of you who need it. I’ve been there.
(If your child is having trouble with the school transition, I have a few tips in this post!)
We are both WAHP so we drop off the kids and go get a coffee. The I usually have to come back and do some kind of work to make my time sans kids productive