Staying ahead of the back-to-school stress requires being patient with yourself, and the kids and working together as a team to weather the adjustment of returning to school after the summer break.
Marcus Cheung with the Calgary Counselling Centre adds that having a direct conversation with your kids is also very effective. The manager of counselling initiatives notes that everyone needs to give themselves time to adjust and it may take a week or two up to a month.
“Take the process slowly. Practice re-establishing some of these routines again is crucial. But it does take some time.”
Cheung says if parents notice that the adjustment is taking a bit longer than expected like two or three months into the term, then it may be time to seek additional help.
“Their children are still having trouble with going back to school or behavioural concerns like sleeping in and not motivated, or they are skipping school, that might be time to speak to a professional.”
For teens versus younger siblings, parents may need to use different strategies to get the older kids back on board with the discipline of back to school.
“For teenagers, unlike younger kids, teenagers might take a little bit longer to re-adjust. I think the motivation, self-discipline, and motivation to succeed is a very important factor for teens to be successful when it comes to transitioning back to school.”
Cheung concludes that returning for a new school year after the fun of summer requires “quite a bit of adjustment,” and “part of the struggle is to come back to a structured routine.”
Apart from having a conversation with your kids and seeking help from the school counsellor, parents may get support from the Calgary Counselling Centre online via Counselling Alberta.
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