Ease Parents’ Back-to-School Stress

Stress can run through a family faster than the flu. Stay ahead of the fall rush with these strategies.

Here it comes, the school season, and with all the excitement and nervous energy that the students are experiencing, there is the companion piece – parental stress.

Stress can run through a family faster than the flu, and we wanted to share some strategies for parents to use to stay ahead of the back-to-school stress.

For busy parents, adding transportation, after-school activities and parent-teacher conferences into already full calendars can be a challenge. On top of that, parents often get stressed while helping their kids adjust to a new school year and stressors like homework, grades and peer pressure.

Stress can be highly contagious. When parents are stressed, kids pick up on the cues. So how do you avoid a complete family meltdown? Follow these tips endorsed by teachers, school psychologists and parents.

1. Budget your time and expenses. Buy school supplies and back-to-school clothing early. Before you blow through your entire budget, remember to set aside money for school trips and other expenses that will come up later in the year. It’s also a good idea to sketch out a calendar, highlighting important dates and commitments you don’t want to miss. Children thrive on routine, and so do parents.

2. Be selective about activities. Realize that when it comes to after-school activities, quality is more important than quantity. Pushing too many activities on your children will inevitably stress them out, and you’ll also be frazzled. Also remember that you don’t need to volunteer for every bake sale or honor every chaperoning request.

3. Plan meals ahead. Prepare freezable meals, such as casseroles or soups, over the weekend so you can get dinner on the table quickly during the busy school week.

4. Ease into the routine. Avoid first-day-of-school mayhem by practicing new routines a few days in advance. Set alarms, go through morning rituals and get in the car or to the bus stop on time.

The start of a new school year is part of the ebb and flow of life. Using some of these tips should help you ease into the routine rather than getting swept away by the school year starting and all the excitement and busyness that it brings.