Back to school and a new school term is quite daunting for many parents and their children. It’s the beginning of a new era for many youngsters moving from nursery to primary school and the realization that they are now at “Big Schoolâ€. Some kids may run off happily and join their friends without a second glance whilst their parents may be left holding back the tears, thinking about the day their child was first born. At the other end of the scale, less confident children will perhaps be left clinging to Mum or Dads legs, screaming “I don’t want you to goâ€. As heart breaking as this may be for many parents, they will equally be desperately looking out for a teacher, hoping they will come to their aid and entice their child to find a new game to play or get involved with.
Either way there will be that wonderment of what the day will be like, will they make new friends and join in activities? Most importantly will they feel safe and looked after. Once the drop off has been made you will probably find you have time for a coffee, catch up on some housework or emails, then find yourself clock watching before having to return and pick them up again. Life is strange isn’t it, sometimes we find it drags and other times it whizzes by.
If your son or daughter was anxious about school you may find that they did not sleep well last night and it may be wise to put them to bed early to cope with the new routine. It will also give you time to feel less stressed rather than trying to rush things or having to deal with tears before bedtime which is not good for anyone.
Allow your child to tell you about their day in their own time, sometimes children do not want to talk about their day, if you say what did you do at school today? They may reply “nothing†basically this is your child’s way of saying, I’m not interested in talking about things right nowâ€. Don’t be offended this is perfectly normal. The day’s events usually get shared once they’ve had some food or feel more relaxed after a bath, they will often start a sentence by saying, “do you know…â€.said or did this or that. Some things you will need to take with a pinch of salt, other matters should be treated with caution but absolute interest.
Children are very fickle, they like something one minute and not the next, so they may tell you they don’t like someone then a while later they will mention playing with that same child. A child’s welfare should always be a priority, any sign of bullying or name calling should be looked into but treated gently, with the reassurance that you will speak to the teacher or the child involved if your child is particularly upset by an incident.
Have a good night and sleep tight!