Minnesota summers are so splendid and so short! We often find ourselves trying to pack as much fun and adventure as possible into a three-month span. And before you know it, the flowers of summer become the tell-tale mums of fall. These golden colors, highlighted with bronze and red, signal the start of school. And for many young children, it signals their first day of real school.
If the cooling weather and falling leaves aren’t enough of a reminder that school is about to start, the bulging back-to-school showcases and aisle cap displays in our favorite stores will not let you forget this fact. Remember, the most important “supplies” young children need for school cannot be purchased! They need your focused attention. This is the time for you to zoom in on your child and get a going-to-school barometer reading. This is all about feelings.
It is common for both child and parent to experience anxiety over the pending first day of school. Dealing with the anxiety of starting school may have even begun as early as last spring during kindergarten registration. Or, maybe the anxiety has yet to set in. Whatever the situation, what you do now, and how you greet this very special time in your child’s life will affect how well your child reacts to starting school.
Remember, kids take a lead from your feelings. The sooner you start seeking answers to your own concerns, the sooner your anxiety will be relieved and the sooner you’ll be able to confidently address your child’s concerns. As you pursue the answers to your questions, be polite and patient with school staff and bus drivers. You, your child’s first and most important teacher, will be teaching her the life skill of negotiating systems. Your child is watching, listening, and learning. You are teaching her how to ask questions, to always be polite, patient, and confident. This is a great gift as your child starts off his or her educational career!
As a parent of four, I learned somewhere along the road to take the first day of school off from work. That way, I was available to follow through with all the planning for the first day of school in one, two, three, or four different buildings with children at varying ages and stages of competency. As I look back, I recognize that I planned this day off not only to ensure first-day success for my kids, it was also necessary for my own success in letting go of my precious children. Put your and your child’s anxieties to rest by dealing with your feelings before school starts.
Vicki Thrasher Cronin is the director of community and civic engagement at Ready 4 K. She has worked early childhood education for 30 years.
