A Season for Everything: Beating the Back-to-School Blues
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)
The back-to-school hustle and bustle has begun in our home.
Summer reading. Check.
IXL math. Check.
School supplies. Check.
New clothes. Check.
Momma’s heart. Cannot, cannot, check.
This momma’s heart loves the summertime – a time when the schedule is not rushed or frantic. It’s a time for us to slow down and reconnect. Summertime is a time to breathe deep.
The headmaster works just as hard during the summer. But during the summertime he comes home at a normal dinner time, and I am grateful. I’m grateful for the extra time I have to plan meals, cook meals and sit around the table to look into the eyes of family and sit with friends who are visiting us. The best conversations happen around the table.
Summertime fills a momma’s heart. Love, purpose, and passion abound for my favorite little small group of people… my family.
But a full schedule of school and teaching and speaking is right around the corner… So, right now I am embracing for the race. It all begins with beating the back-to-school blues.
Beating the Back-to-School-Blues:
1. We talk about it. Both of my kids are “moving up” this year. We talk about the different expectations in middle school and high school. We talk about what they are excited about, and their biggest fears. It’s important to listen to them and validate their concerns to help them understand they are not alone. Other students are feeling the same way and the feelings they have are normal. Change causes anxiety, but affirmation and encouragement builds confidence and keeps anxiety at bay.
3. We walk it out. We make time for the teacher meet & greet. I make a special effort to take them (or at this stage let them go!) to their classrooms during this time to let them get to know their teachers with their peers. My kids know schools. Coming from a large boarding school environment, they have literally grown up in them, however this does not eliminate the “first day jitters.” They have to know their teachers and their new space on their own to feel confident in the classroom.
4. We gather and we reach. Preparedness eliminates tension and creates calm hearts. Once my kids realize what they need, we try our best to find the supplies and/or uniforms at the best prices. Of course this is fun and exciting since there are so many awesome school supplies and colors to choose from! Our church is collecting school supplies for local students who receive aid through a local food pantry. My children can relate to other children needing new supplies to be ready. This year we will reach out into our community by gathering essential school supplies for other children. If you can do this, it is a great way to help your children think outside of themselves.
5. I realize everything is for a season. This is a great season. I am the parent who enjoys every age and every stage. As each stage arrived, I loved it and didn’t want it to end…Until the next stage came and was even better. I know this in my head, but I have to remind myself and tell it to my heart. The enthusiasm my husband and I have for this season trickles right down into the hearts of our children. They follow our lead. Enthusiasm is contagious, so we lead their hearts with excitement and encouragement about what’s to come.
When I turn my eyes from the “busyness” of life and the changing of the seasons to Him, I realize that whether we are in summertime or school time it is all His time.
This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 (NASB)
All time is a gift and I am grateful for the moments. So I hug longer and savor each one. Even though my momma’s heart is heavy, I know the upcoming season is going to be really good.
The best is yet to come.
Basking in His Light
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