Women’s Ministries

Back To School October 1, 2009

September is IT!
Besides it being my birthday month and the beginning of one of my favorite seasons of the year, it is also the time when kids are heading back to school. This is the month that marks a new beginning with bright red apples and new pencils. The ‘first-day-of-school’ clothes have been bought, lunch makings have been stocked, and the schedule has changed once again. Some moms are ecstatic that their kids are heading back and others are sad. Frankly, I fall somewhere in the middle because I love the routine of the school year, but miss having my kids around.

No matter what kind of school they are attending, we’ve found that having traditions, rituals & routines, and goals about the school year has helped us get our year started and continued with greater ease than if we did things in a willy nilly fashion. Just before school, we do a bit of shopping for clothes although I’m very careful not to be duped by ‘back-to-school’ prices as they are often higher than they should be. I’ve always loved seeing them head off to school that first day in something that makes them feel like a million bucks! We also stock up on notebook paper, pens, and pencils, and now that my kids are in high school, we buy the bulk of our supplies after the first day of school. It seems that they find out more from each teacher what they need that first day so I block out time that afternoon after school to get the last things.

We also are sure to set up daily routines and we review these after the laziness of summer so that everyone is on the same page as to what is expected to be accomplished in the mornings before school, in the afternoons just after school, and throughout the evening to be ready for the next day. Most mornings are the same, but our afternoons, probably like yours, are often all over the place between sports practices and/or games, music lessons and practice, and getting homework done. We make a distinct effort to have dinner together although more and more that means that two or three nights of the week, I’ve prepared food earlier in the day for us to eat in couples or threesomes as our afternoon schedules allow. The evening routine most often includes homework and getting clothes and belongings together for the next day. Whatever your family schedule and priorities are, I encourage you to make routines and spend time together.

I love traditions. They say, “This is important enough to repeat.” And back-to-school traditions are some of my favorite ones. I’ve heard of people doing “Back-to-School Bagels” at the neighborhood bus-stop, inviting everyone to bring their cameras and come a little early on the first morning of school. It’s been many years since I’ve had the opportunity to do that, but one thing that I’ve always done is written my kids a note of encouragement for the school year and given it to them on the first day of school. I’ve written on store-bought cards I’ve bought with them specifically in mind, I’ve written on cards that I’ve made, and I’ve even written on plain old paper once when I found myself unprepared! We don’t usually set a full breakfast table, but on the first day of school, I set the table after the kids have gone to bed the night before, and put their notes at their places. Through the year, I find these notes on their bulletin boards, tucked in their nightstand drawers, used as bookmarks, and sometimes even carelessly thrown in their bedroom floors. I have a feeling that someday I’ll find secret stashes of them on the top shelves of their closets when they move out.

My prayer is that God will give you grace as you settle into a new school year, that He will grant each of your children meaningful friendships with students and teachers alike, that He will cause their brains to be alert, and keep them free of illness. Blessings to you.

Photo and text by Tammy Circeo

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