The holiday break is over, the Christmas tree has been packed into storage, and the kids are gearing up to return to school. You know what that means, mama. Early mornings, lunch prepping, and parent/teacher meetings.
Not ready for the hectic back-to-school schedule after riding that holiday vacation high? We’ve got your back. Here are four ways to survive your little ones going back to school after the holiday season.
1. Talk to your kids about going back to school.
Before the school year officially begins, plan a sit-down chat with your kids about the semester. Use this time to come up with a game plan to tackle the new year by touching bases on the following.
- What do you expect from your children during the school semester? Good grades? Good behavior? Communicate what you want to see them achieve and how to do it.
- What do your children expect from you? Ask them how they would like to see you support them in your expectations of them.
Remember to make the space to listen to your kids and their feelings so you can work together on transitioning out of vacation mode and make this school year a success.
2. Shift your mindset for going back.
Waking up to an alarm after having the bliss of keeping it off can be a jarring switch. Give yourself grace as you get back into the swing of things by transforming your mindset.
Start early before the first day back to school to focus on moving forward and not retreating into holiday mode with daily practices like:
- Morning meditation and affirmations to uplift yourself for the day.
- Evening chats with your children to learn about their day and where you can help. You can ask questions like “How did you feel at school today?” or “What was the best/hardest part of your day?”
- Establish morning and bedtime routines so everyone gets up on time with a healthy breakfast and gets enough rest the night before.
3. Celebrate the first (and second) week back in school.
Nothing feels better than knowing you did a good job and treating yourself to a reward for it. You can do this with your kids, too, and celebrate surviving the first week of school with a trip to the ice cream shop on Friday afternoon or a family day on Saturday morning.
It helps motivate them for the new school year, and spending time with your little ones doing things you love is fun!
4. Don’t shy away from help when you need it.
If a sweet treat doesn’t always work to encourage you to get through the new school week, it’s okay to be overwhelmed and need help.
As moms, we have to balance a lot—from raising our active families to working our full-time jobs—and we deserve to create the space for self-care for ourselves and our children.
Schedule a therapy session, talk with your girlfriends, or plan a play date with your kids and their friends and chat with their parents. You aren’t in this alone, mama, and when you take care of yourself, you can better take care of your family.
Switching gears from holiday to school mode can be demanding, but we know you can do it! Try these tips for surviving the school year, and let us know how you’re feeling in the comments below.
Missy Bonet is a guest contributor for Westchester County Mom. She is a business owner and founder of A Curvy Mom, a lifestyle and wellness blog. Missy is a resident of New Rochelle with her three children and is passionate about women’s empowerment, wellness, and positive thinking.
