31/08/2024
It's that time of year again - last-minute trips to the shore and desperate attempts at capturing just one more drop of those precious summer moments. And we ask ourselves again...where did summer go?
As we roll into the months of Autumn many of you are preparing your children for going back to school. Some of you for the first time.
I remember those first days of school. I have the photos of my little ones with their new clothes, hair cuts, backpacks, lunch boxes, supplies. The ones that get me are the ones where they are looking over their shoulder back at me with their best smile as they enter a building with teachers, aids and students that are all new to them.
What a scary time for a little one it can be.
So as we do our best to try and prepare them with their ABCs, phonics, numbers, etc,... I'd like to make a special request.
Parents, grandparents, siblings, caregivers...whoever has been blessed with the well-being and raising of a little one...please have a talk with them about what it means to be a good friend.
Many children are excited about going to school but many are afraid and are worried that they will not make any new friends and will not fit in. Many are worried their clothes aren't nice enough or that maybe children will somehow know they are wearing hand-me-downs from their siblings or from the Goodwill store.
This kills me. I get a pit in my stomach when I think about it.
It's been proven that we as adults will remember the kindness extended by another child years well into their past. It's the little things.
Do you know what one of the greatest challenges for young people attending college have to overcome? Dreading going to the mess hall and having to eat alone.
I know when children enter school they sit with their class. Do they even have assigned seats at the tables in the cafeteria anymore? If not will the other children make room for them to sit down? Will they make room for them on the bus if they ride it to school?
One small gesture of a look, a smile and offering a seat on the bus or in the cafeteria can do wonders to help a little one feel accepted.
When you talk to your child ask them how they would feel if no one did this for them when they went to school. How lonely it could feel. Explain to them what a wonderful thing it would be if they were kind to another child.
It is very often the case that the bonds that develop from simple innocent gestures such as this can lead to life-long friendships.
They will certainly be remembered by the recipient.
Wishing all of you a smooth and gentle transition into the new school year. And moms and dads...despite the butterflies you also have in your stomachs...I promise it will all be ok. Don't be afraid to talk with your children about their day when you pick them up. Just let them share their day with you no matter how good or bad it was.
I have shared this before but I think it illustrates beautifully what I mean. XO
https://www.facebook.com/share/8BENV8sDXBDU8uxa/?mibextid=WC7FNe
"He was kind to me," Conner Crites says of his new friend Christian Moore
