Community Magazine August 2019

74 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE A s a teenager, as I walked out of my yeshiva building in June, I looked forward to having two glorious months off from school. September seemed very far away. But now it is right around the corner. How can we prepare and motivate our children and ourselves as parents to be excited about September and the beginning of the new school year when summer’s through? The Parents’ Role That’s right. Parents are key players and participants in the Back to School (BTS) process. After all, we too have the summer off from school. No checking homework, no carpools, no running to the store for supplies for a school project and no parent-teacher conferences. Moms and dads also have to get revved up for the coming school year. Let’s take a fresh look at the coming year rather than going through the motions of wash, rinse, and repeat. Can you think of the BTS process as a balancing act? Is our goal to inspire our children and encourage them to learn, but avoid putting undue pressure on them to be superstars? Parents and educators have expressed concerns that we are no longer allowingour kids tobekids. I recentlyheardapodcast speaker say that children today are over-managed and overscheduled much more than we were in the sixties and seventies. As parents, we strive to bring out the best in our children and help them achieve their potential by exposing them to different activities and allowing them to explore possibilities. Be mindful about not cutting short their childhood years by constantly pressuring them to get the best grades and be accepted to the most prominent schools and/or excel in other extra-curriculars such as music and sports. For example, we want to communicate the value of education and getting good grades, but we don’t want to send the message that each homework assignment will make or break their future. Consider your child’s self-esteem, and remember that pushing them to stand out can make them feel like they are not good enough. Are you ready to partner with your children to jumpstart the new school year and make the transition from vacation mode to school mode a smooth one for all involved? The First Step A good first step involves weaning the family from vacation mode. Ease your children and yourselves into the school routines and schedules. Get your kids to bed earlier and have them start waking up earlier before it’s time for them to go back to school. Two weeks in advance is recommended. We all need to adjust to our new timetables. Being well rested helps the entire family get back into the groove of school. The top benefits of sleep leading to your child’s success in school are strengthening the immune system, which helps us to fight off germs, reducing injury risk, boosting learning, and increasing their attention span. It is true; kids are clumsier when they don’t get sufficient sleep. So are mom and dad. As parents, we most certainly profit from more sleep. We will be healthier, more present with our GETTINGYOUR CHILDREN EXCITED ABOUTTHE NEWSCHOOLYEAR ELLEN GELLER KAMARAS