The school year is well and truly upon us, meaning there's going to be a lot going on.
I think sometimes parents can be harsh on themselves and the thing is, everyone panics about the school year and everyone has issues. So, before you start berating yourself at your lack of clarity and organisation, relax!
Here are some things to remember for the school year ahead:
You are doing the best you can.
This is so important. You are doing the best you can so stop being so hard on yourself. You are working hard and trying to do the best for your family and so what if you mess up now and again – we all do!
The kids may not have a perfect lunch every day and you may not be able to volunteer for your kids’ school, but you can’t do everything so accept that and work on what you can do.
Get organised.
This is easier said than done but if you can start organised there is every chance it can stay that way. Get the kids on board too and plan to make life easier – whatever way that can be.
The kids should know where to put their bags, what they can have for snacks after school and you could have a family schedule on a whiteboard to keep track of activities if you are an extremely busy family.
Share the load.
As mentioned above, you need to get the kids to help and they can do this by knowing and understanding the importance of organisation. They should know what they need to do to make life easier for you and how to behave when they get in from school and do their homework properly.
When it comes to dinner time, ensure all the family help with the preparation and serving before someone takes over the cleaning of the dishes. Everyone should work together, and it will make the school year a lot happier.
Eat well and mind everyone and yourself.
With the colder months coming along, it can be hard to take care of yourself when you are so busy, but it is important that you do. Minding everyone else is good but naturally, you’ll find caring for others and making sure they have what they need a lot easier than doing it for yourself.
As the saying goes, "you can't pour from an empty cup". If you run yourself down, who is going to take care of everything for you? Always make sure you're looking after yourself first.
Have family time.
This is so important as if you get along well and have good relationships with each other, you’ll be able to look after each other during the week when the house is busy.
This means the kids will help others with homework if needed or they’ll help you clean the floor or bring out the bin as they understand the importance of family life.
Accept the chaos will come and the days may not go exactly as planned but try to stop worrying and just roll with it!
