Farm Journal · September 3, 2021
My top 5 Back to School Must-do's
The back to school anxiety is getting real here in Upstate New York. For this Hot-Mess-Mama, our summer is filled with no bedtime, ice cream for dinner, mud on the knees, and a daily rhythm that revolves around crops, animals, weather, and spur of the moment text invitations.
And then there is the ongoing pandemic thing. We were lucky to have in-person five day school weeks last year. School looked different, but it was consistent. That’s the plan again for this year, but “cautiously optimistic” is the name of the game.
So how do I get 5 kids ready to rejoin the daily grind in some manner of order?? I’m so glad you asked.
- Re-start a bed time routine. This is the one and only thing that I sincerely try to do daily with any amount of real effort. If I can get them on the bus on time, without a struggle at least the first week, I will have felt like a success.
- Re-start a morning routine. Our bus comes pretty early, but Dad heads to milk the cows before the kiddos are generally awake. So we start to get back into the practice of Bill coaxing them to open up those pretty blue eyes for the last weeks of summer. If they are up earlier, they will go to sleep earlier. Right? Ha! No…but we try. And they get a few bonus moments of Dad time which is never a bad thing.
- Get the paperwork in order. With 5 kids worth of dental, physical, immunization, health history, and eye records, it is a manic rush for both me and every office I show up to. I could plop all the forms on their desk smiling nicely and saying “Hey, there, I’m the gift you were hoping would show up right before lunch hour to ask you to fill out these super fun papers so my special snowflakes can go back to school!! How are you today!?” Instead give it to the office staff early. Call and ask if they want it emailed to them. Don’t wait to the last day. I know it’s their job to fill them out, but thoughtfulness and extra gratitude goes a long way, and they play an important if unglamorous role in getting our kids ready for back-to-school.
- Supplies, supplies, supplies. Last year, each of my kids had their own supplies for the first time. I’m guessing this was a trend across the country to minimize germ spread. And folks, it worked! Our kids only got the sniffles once, as opposed to the normal cycle of 'Spread The Dread' that usually goes through the elementary school one class at a time (one year, nearly half the kids were out one week). Then we had a pandemic, changed some pretty simple procedures, and BOOM! Magically less kids got sick! Hooray! Another great benefit was that they didn’t end up using or needing as many supplies and the kids brought home what was left at the end of June. So guess what!? They still have most of what they need for this year! I don’t mind buying school supplies. Give those teachers whatever tools they need to get these kids back up to speed with what is absolutely a generation delayed from COVID. Buy in bulk if it makes sense, or share with other families to save some time and money. Reuse what you’ve already got. And throw in a few extra bottles of wipes, sanitizer and paper towels for those amazing teachers and bus drivers on the first day with a note that you appreciate all that they do (and maybe a little candy).
- Give Grace. If you’ve done the above 4 things, give yourself a pat on the back. Your kids are logistically ready for school. This last one is to get them emotionally ready. It’s been a long pandemic. They are out of schedules, clinging to the joy of the last few days before school, and processing that each school year means they are getting older and moving towards the inevitable adult-hood. So give them some grace. Give yourself some grace. And give lots of hugs. Fill the last few days of summer with joy and peace, crafts, little trips, and memories that will give them something to look forward to next summer. Because when the February chill rolls around, and it is dark when they get on and off the bus, you will really need them to muster up all that good stuff you’ve buried deep down in their brains to get you through the next few months.
Be safe, be well, and have a great school year!