Goodbye Summer Sun, Hello School Fun!
It happens every year. I just sat down to write my editor’s note about that last school bellringing, and now I’m dealing with the impossible fact that my son is starting seventh grade! Just last week we were spending a summer day on the back patio together, and now I’m teasing him that it’s time for back-to-school fun. I always think of that Staples commercial with the excited parents singing “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”, and the school-age children looking glum that September has arrived.
Mikaeel is happy enough to be heading back to school to see friends now that he’s in the upper grades, but I know a lot of readers are nervously sending their little ones off to school for the very first time this fall. You’ll be excited to hear from Tina at the Early Years Partnership about different temperament styles in children, and how these can affect those first days and months of school.
Maybe you have an active, feisty child, or a child who is more reserved and fearful, or a flexible, easy-going child. Most likely, you have a child who is a combination of the three! Learn tips on page 6 to best work with each temperament. One major skill you’ll want to instill in your child is resilience. Fatherhood expert, Frank, (and we say expert because he’s living it as father to two sons) suggests we don’t rescue our kids from all situations. So play board games together – sometimes they’ll lose and that’s OK. Allow them to finish tasks independently, even if tying their own shoes takes longer. Your kids will thank you for this “resilience training” as they work their way through school and into adulthood!
There’s been a lot of talk this back to school season about changes our current government has made to sex education. Whatever your belief on this topic, it’s important to openly discuss age appropriate facts at home. Clinical counsellor, Emily, offers help with this tough subject in Life Balance. After dropping your little ones off at school, grab a cuppa, and check out our brand new website, featuring recipes, crafts and parenting tips galore! And become a part of The Mom & Caregiver community by submitting your family’s favourite recipe or craft idea at www.themomandcaregiver.com
Happy September!
” Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”
– F. Scott Fitzgerald
Sabina Manji, a lifelong Londoner, is an irrepressible entrepreneur, mother of a wonderful son, and also a committed volunteer.
