Summer To School

Top 10 Back To School Parenting Tips

By
Relationship Advice Expert April Masini

Q: Dear April Masini,

It's back to school for my son in just a couple weeks. He's had a great summer full of running around outside, staying up late, and playing video games. Is there anything we can do to help him transition easily into school mode?

Sincerely,

The Countdown is On

A:

Dear The Countdown is On,

I have back to school tips for every student of every age! 

Top 10 back to school parenting tips:

1. Get your child on an appropriate bedtime schedule three nights BEFORE the night before school. You child will be anxious and excited the night before the first day as it is, give him or her some practice at getting to bed on time. 
    
2. Do school shopping two weeks before the first day – not two days before the first day. This eliminates stress for the child (and possibly the parent) and sets a good example for being organized and prepared for school. 
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3. Pack your child a lunch for the first day of school even if there is a hot lunch program. The entrée offered may be something you child doesn’t like, and eating on the first day is more important than adjusting to new food. PB&J will go a long way. 
    
4. If you regularly pack your child’s lunch and/or snacks for school, stock up ahead of time with your child in tow, on healthy snacks. 
    
5. Summer homework is usually left to the last minute. Make sure that your child has done their summer book reports – or whatever the summer assignment is – ahead of time and not the night before the first day. 
    
6. If your child is new to the school make a few play dates with children in his or her grade – along with the parent – to alleviate anxiety on the first day by allowing your child to at least know someone or a few friends. 
    
7. Make the last few nights before the first day of school be low-key. This is not the time to take in a night trip to an amusement or water park. Calm is good. Boring is underrated. 
    
8. If your daughter is a tween or even a mature nine year old – make sure she knows about menstruation and is prepared with a special stash in her backpack just in case. Many girls start to menstruate in elementary school now. 
    
9. Figure out who your emergency card contacts will be. Most parents will spend the first week of their child’s school year filling out a myriad of emergency contact cards and other such paperwork. Make sure your child knows who is and isn’t allowed to pick them up from school in case of emergency. If you’re divorced, make this information clear with your ex. 
    
10. Give your child a big hug and a kiss before they go to school. No matter how stoic your child is, a good breakfast is only half the nourishment they need as they venture out into the world. Your love is the other half.

April Masini -- nicknamed "the new millennium's Dear Abby" by the media, is author of the best-selling books Date Out Of Your League and Think & Date Like A Man, the two (just released) step-by-step dating and relationship manuals, Ideas for a Fun Date and Romantic Date Ideas, and the critically acclaimed dating and relationship online magazine www.AskApril.com.

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