Smooth Operator: Advice for Your Back-to-School Transition

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This post is part 3 of 5 in the Back-to-School 2015 series.

Back to School (BTS).

Ooh….

That little phrase can elicit an array of emotions depending on whose sweet ear it befalls. Fear, joy, remorse, dread, elation…. How do you feel about it? Do you want to hang on to every last shred of sweet summer freedom? Or are you staring at a paper chain above your door right now and counting down the seconds until you can tear off the final ring and pat your little cherubs on their backs on their way out to the school bus? Either way, ladies. Either way, we could use a smooth transition into this old familiar rat race. And you can be the smooth operator behind the wheel.

Back to School

Happy or sad about it, BTS is inevitable whether you homeschool or your kids attend public school. So, how can we achieve a smooth transition back into the school routine after a summer full of freedom from strict schedules, stacks of homework, due dates, responsibilities, lunch bags, and real outfits (because a swim suit will no longer count as an outfit for the day)?

I’m not exactly an expert. And people who really know me may scoff at the idea that I would venture to offer any advice of any sort at being smooth in any way. But there is one thing that I’ve become accustomed to over the years when it comes to parenting: taking a shot into the dark. And in the meantime, I’ve learned what not to do, and therefore, I can offer you some advice now (in my “old mom” age because I have an almost teenager). Those are my impressive credentials. Here we go:

#1. Start adjusting bedtimes and nap schedules at least two weeks before school starts.

My kids thrive on schedule, and we throw it all to the wind in the summer in favor of late sunsets and trampoline jumping nights and popsicle eating. We really have to buckle down and try to rope in our bedtime schedule when it gets closer to BTS time so that we aren’t all red-eyed and confused on the morning of the first day back, and then super angry and fired up by the end of the week. It’s important to give the little cherubs all the rest they need and so, my learn-by-my-mistake advice for you is to reel it in a couple weeks ahead of time and keep it steady from there. Even though it’s light out still and you feel like the really uncool mom on the block when everyone is still outside playing, you will feel a lot cooler when your household is running like a dream on week one of BTS, won’t you, girlfriend?

#2. Drive your minivan to Costco.

If you are a mama who packs lunches from home when she can, I recommend Costco. Buy yourself a big ol’ pack of bread, string cheese, organic blueberries, strawberries, what-have-you, and pack those lunches. It feels good. I get satisfaction from it. I really do. I don’t know why, but it just feels good to not have your children eat McRib on that day — or whatever the school version is called. Because what is that? It’s not the school’s fault by any means that they are serving school McRib. There’s a budget and a food program and some people like McRib. I don’t. You might and that’s okay. My kids argue in favor of the crispito, but I gag a little when I think of crispitos and I have super low standards. I’m a nurse and I eat cafeteria food in the middle of the night. But I can’t do McRib or crispitos. To each their own. I’d also argue that if you have multiple kids in school like I do now, it can be cheaper to pack your own food. You can give them the right portions, buy in bulk, and give them good food that you know they’ll eat. Just an idea. Do what works for you, your budget, and your babes.

I assumed you had a minivan in the title there. I, for one, plan on driving one until I’m 89 or dead or whenever they take my license away, whichever is sooner. I love my tan van so much.

#3. School shop in advance.

I should take my own advice on this one. It bites me EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR. I can still be seen the night before BTS driving from store to store to store looking for a pack of red pens. You early birds are killing me. This advice goes for clothes, too. My kids grow like weeds and there are more kids in our family than adults, so it can get expensive if we aren’t careful. I shop clearance when I see it all summer long, and I buy sizes ahead for fall and winter and store up. I just found 30-percent off already clearanced items at Carters/OshKosh and got an entire BIG bag full of clothes for $60. Old Navy has the same deal, too, and I’ve got kids who wear adult sizes now (BOOHOOOO!!!) But, I love a good sale, don’t you? I also recommend Once Upon a Child if you dig consignment like I do. Save big money, mamas, and do it in advance. If not, I’ll see you the night before. If you know who has red pens left, lemme know.

#4. Organize the work space.

Weren’t you needing an excuse for your kids to clean their rooms and your house? I was. Have your big kids help make their space neat and tidy for homework when it comes their way. This benefits you in multiple ways that I don’t even need to tell you about. Some kids require bribery for such tasks, and that’s okay if you ask me. Best $2 and/or ice cream cone you ever bought….

#5. All you need is love.

Remember how hard it was to step into a new school for the first time, or to be a kindergartner in a sea of big kids, or how hard it was to be in middle school? Don’t forget to love them. Don’t forget to listen to them. Don’t make them use their Hello Kitty Trapper Keeper from last year unless they really deserve it. (Kidding.)

What’s your best advice for a smooth transition into the new school year?

Read more from our Back-to-School 2015 series!

Back-to-School 2015

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