Back to School Shopping
Goodwill Industries is a great place to do all your back to school shopping. Their stores have all the current trends, but for a fraction of the price.
Back to School
Tips for A Stress-Free School Year
Kids are heading back to school next week and for many families the stress is already building. We spoke with Tom Karel of Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services and got some advice on starting the school year stress-free.
Back to school–for parents!
I know that most of us are not ready to hear the phase “Back to School” quite yet. There is still beach weather to enjoy, maybe even a last vacation to take before the routine and early mornings begin again. For some families on balanced school calendars, your week is now here. For others, there are several last weeks of summer to savor.
Recently, I had someone ask me what I see as a common misperception about heading back to school and making the family adjustments that come with this change. I want to pass along to you something that I see often that can be challenging for parents and children and will probably come up for many of you as school begins again.
Because our children are dependent on us, parents play a huge role in getting children prepared for school—the supply shopping, the filling out of numerous forms, the clarification and enforcement of bed times and wakeups, the transport to and from the increasing amount of sports practices and social activities, and more. All of this is to be expected and very much needed—however, one area that I see parents taking too much responsibility for is their children’s emotions. When our children are anxious, sad, frustrated, worried, or angry, it might feel instinctual to try and take these emotions away from our children. Sometimes we might even take on their emotions and realize how much our mood shifts with our children’s.
Although it may be difficult, I want to challenge you toward being in relationship with your child through hard emotions and transitions, rather than trying to take away the difficult things they feel or face. Building relationship with your child through challenges and adjustments looks like spending quality time together, asking questions like “what else are you experiencing?” or “what does that feel like?” and holding back tendencies to solve problems or reassure them that everything will be okay. Offer to help brainstorm ideas or solutions rather than offering a pat answer. Building relationship in this way helps them build security and trust in you and also helps them learn to problem solve and trust themselves.
For more information on behavioral health issues or to seek assistance, go to http://www.pinerest.org
Launched!
For those of you who have been thinking of me as I sent my daughter off to kindergarten this week—thank you for your well wishes! The transition has gone well so far for my family—we’re taking it one day at a time.
I’m wondering more about the transitions that your families have managed this past week; for those of you who have school aged children, but also for those of you whose occupations gear up this time of year. What things have worked well? Which areas need some extra TLC? I’ve enjoyed exploring how families operate with transitions and would love hearing from you.
One thing that has struck me this past week is how important it is to be able to accept support from people around me in times of transition. For me, this means truly relying on others—from our fabulous child care provider and wonderful teachers that care for my children, to families that assist mine with transporting children to and from school. And I’ll add that my system of support even includes some local restaurants that have supplied meals to my family this week when I realized that cooking a meal was just too much to include in the day!
Sometimes it can be difficult to depend on others. Perhaps we have developed the idea that strength equals independence. We don’t want to be weak. We may have learned these ideas from the families in which we grew up, and even from the culture around us. Maybe we’ve been let down in the past and we’ve learned that we can’t consistently count on other people. I challenge you to take a look around you and examine who you depend on. Are you allowing yourself to be an “island”—or are you open to creating and relying on some bridges of support? It can be as enriching and gratifying to receive support as it is to give it, but it can require some setting aside of our own patterns and being open to what others have to share with us.
For more information on behavioral health issues, or to seek assistance, go to www.pinerest.org
Routine–it’s for parents too!
With children heading back to school, and families reorienting themselves to this routine, I’ve seen an increase in parents who are sorting through this transition in therapy.
Lately, I’ve spent time with parents who are preparing for the stress that comes with managing their households during the school year. Increases in anxiety, frustration, stress, along with feeling more overwhelmed that what is normal are common issues for primary caretakers in families this time of year.
We’ve been focusing lately on transitioning children–launching them into the school year successfully–now it’s time for me to share a couple of insights for parents. Here are some tips that will help you begin your fall in a way that leaves you feeling good about yourself.
- Get organized: Having a master family calendar is a helpful way of avoiding over booking and double booking activities, which increases stress levels. Combine children’s school calendars and your family’s social calendar into one that the family can review together.
- Take care of yourself: In order to stay healthy, remember the essentials: enough sleep, adequate exercise and good nutrition. Take a closer look at each of these areas of your life. Is there an area that can use extra attention or improvement? Do you know what the first steps to improvement are? Begin implementing some of these changes as your children head back to school and your calendar changes a bit. Taking care of yourself is the first step in being able to take care of your family well.
- Remember your passions: With an upsurge of commitments, it’s easy to feel like you are operating on autopilot. Remember to ask yourself: what gives me passion and energy? Allow yourself the time and thought to explore this. How might you incorporate some of these things into your day or your week? Accessing joy and allowing yourself to “play” will help replenish the energy that can so easily be absorbed into the daily routine.
For more information on behavioral health issues, or to seek assistance, go to www.pinerest.org
Off to school!
In my household these past several weeks, we have been preparing for the transitions that come with heading back to school. My oldest is heading to kindergarten and my middle is going to preschool for the first time. Both girls are excited and getting ready, from having their school supplies packed in their backpacks to having just received their teacher letters in the mail.
Maybe you were able to see my interview on Maranda’s show this past weekend, where I highlighted a few tips that we’re implementing in my home that I think would be helpful for your family too. I wanted to expand a bit on what I mentioned on Maranda’s show. Here are some suggestions for you and your family, if you are sending off your children this school year.
Tips for A Successful School Year
Some schools around West Michigan have already gotten started, one of those is Dickinson Elementary in Grand Rapids. We spoke with principal, LaTonya Ward, about how to start the school year off on the right foot.
Healthy School Lunches
Back to school means back to packing a lunch. Meijer has some simple and healthy ideas that your kids will love.
Kindergarten Transitions
Sending a child off to Kindergarten can be exciting and nerve racking for many parents. Our Pine Rest blogger and clinical social worker, Kristin Kuiper, has some words of advice for parents.
Belding High School Football
Many kids involved in high school athletics have been busy practicing this summer getting ready for fall sports.
Blogs
Maranda's Blog
Keep in step with Maranda as she explores issues affecting your family.
Maranda's Go-To Gal
Insights from the mom who helps Maranda get it all done.
Whitecaps Blog
Whitecaps mascot Crash takes you inside the ballpark.
Cruiser's Blog
Cruiser has the inside track for Craig's Cruisers.
Health & Wellness
Make health and wellness a priority.
Fifth Third River Bank Run
On pace with the Fifth Third River Bank Run.
Healthy Living
Simple solutions for healthy living.
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