PARENTING COLUMN: May back to school time be filled with curiosity, laughter, and just the right amount of chaos

By Louise Flanagan

And just like that, the summer is over. Most kids are back at school this week, with many walking through the school gates for their first day back.

There’s a unique mix of emotions in the air – relief for parents, excitement for pupils, and maybe a pinch of anxiety for some, both young and old.

Whether you’re sending your little one off to Junior Infants or helping your tween navigate the maze of a new secondary school, there’s a lot going on this week.

My social media newsfeed has been flooded with articles full of advice on how to settle kids back into routine. (The irony that I’m adding to the pile is not lost on me!)

I will say though, that you simply have to parent the child you have. When my eldest started school, I was prepared for all eventualities; what if she cries at the gates, what if she doesn’t make any friends, what if she doesn’t eat her lunch, what if, what if…

In the end, she breezed through those gates and has had a blast at school every day since – and now in the blink of an eye she’s going into 5th class. All my strategising and theorising was for nothing.

Some children will take time to settle at school and I feel the best thing we can do as parents is reassure them that it’ll be ok – because it really will be ok.

Schools are such positive, vibrant settings these days. Be available to listen to their concerns and encourage them to share their feelings with you, but ultimately offer heartfelt reassurance that it will all work out fine.

Children often mirror their parents’ attitudes, so maintaining a positive outlook about the new school year can help ease their concerns.

I made the mistake of audibly groaning when I saw a mathematical set on Lucy’s stationery list this year. The horrors of protractors and compasses came flooding back.

“What’s a mathematical set, Mammy. Is it really awful? Is it hard? Did you hate it?!” Great, I had flavoured how she feels about it before she even opened the pencil case. Keeping it upbeat would have been much more beneficial.

Some kids might not settle at school till Halloween or even Christmas while other kids will skip to school day after day, ready for action.

Just parent the child you have and to hell with all the strategies out there that don’t even apply to your situation.

As a teacher myself, I’d say to contact the school sooner rather than later if you think your child is finding it particularly tough to settle in.

Lots of kids put on a brave face all day and only crumble when they go home. The school will help, but only if they know about it.

If your child goes to a school that has a uniform, invest in more than one tie. I naively only bought one tie for my eldest and I think we were about two months into the school year when the washing machine mysteriously ate it and we found ourselves in a right pickle one Monday morning.

I now have six ties for three kids – and it’s still hit or miss some mornings. On that note, have the uniform laid out neatly the night before.

(Do as I say, not as I do!)

Here’s to a wonderful new school year – may it be filled with curiosity, laughter, and just the right amount of chaos to keep things interesting. Welcome back to school.

Louise Flanagan is an admin of Letterkenny Babies Facebook page and the author of the children’s book series, Dragonterra and Dream Beasts. www.dragonterra.ie

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