Summer is coming to an end, the kids are bored, they are fighting with each other, they are on your last nerve, everyone needs a little more structure to their day and the first day of school can’t come soon enough. Right? Maybe not, for Moms and kids alike, the beginning of school can come with its own form of anxiety and stress. Like that knot in your stomach when you realize not one of you child’s friends is in their class and they didn’t get the teacher they wanted. Their year is ruined, they hate school and there is no way they are going to last the year with that teacher! You take a breath and put on a calm exterior and tell them it will be fine, they can use this as an opportunity to make new friends and they should not judge a teacher by what they hear. Meanwhile in your own head you are thinking the exact same thing.
The anxiety of the first day is very real for most children, while they may be returning to the same school, the dynamic changes yearly. There are many questions that run through their heads…Is my outfit okay? Will my friends I haven’t seen all summer still be my friends? Who will I talk to at my locker? Will I sit with the same kids at lunch? Will someone save me a seat?
There is comfort and security in what they are familiar with, the first day of school brings with it too many unknowns. We as parents may be many years removed from school, however; those memories come flooding back when you sense your child is stressing about the first day. My advice to you, be calm, be patient and try very hard not to overreact, they will make it. I was never a fan of the first day of school, both as a child and a parent, I liked the second day much better.
