Because August and September are school-starting months, our posts in these months will focus on things that help students get a good start at school.

• Be prepared for your child’s fears (or at least nerves) about returning to school.

Be on the lookout for delayed reactions to these fears or nerves. Your child may suck it up in the first few days or weeks (months for older kids – like college kids), but down the road, he may suddenly start having trouble going to school. Just go back to square one. Pretend it is the first few days of school. Be an extra good listener and be extra comforting to help him deal with his fears. (See First Days of School.)

• Realize that kids miss a lot of things when they go to school.

Kids can miss mom-time, a favorite toy or blanket, TV shows, neighborhood friends, a pet, etc. Be comforting about their feelings of loss. Hug them, fix them their favorite food, plan special time with them, etc. (See First Days of School.) 

• School pushes your child to grow up. But, growing up is hard to do. Growing up happens one step at a time and sometimes with one step forward and one step backward.

Let your child know that you notice and like how he is growing up. At the same time, remember your child still needs to be “young.” He might want to be cuddled or still have a special blanket or stuffed animal. He might want to play with old toys he liked when he was younger. He might have a tantrum or whine about things. He might want you to do things for him that he usually does for himself, like fix him a snack and deliver it to him. Don’t worry. It is taking all his effort to use his grown-up behavior at school where it is needed most right now, but more grown up behavior will show up at home too once he gets used to what he needs to do at school.