Five Tips for Preparing for the First Day of School

This post originally appeared on IvankaTrump.com. 

The first day of school seems to come around way more quickly than I realized before I became a parent. It seems as though every year the first day is a big deal and the anxiety of it all comes flooding in during the weeks leading up to September. At this point my kids are all pros at Back to School! I, on the other hand, have learned to control my anxiety about my little ones going into the big unknown (also known as “school” and admittedly, pretty well known, but I still drive myself crazy!), and to let go of the notion that being first in line at drop-off will make or break me as a parent. Read ahead so that first day of school is as significant—and as insignificant—as it really should be.

Prepare your children in advance

Be matter of fact, light and breezy. Start talking to your child well in advance of the first day and keep talking to them through August. In the week before school begins, make sure your child understands the new routine, where they will be going, how they are getting there and so on. Also, make adjustments in bedtime accordingly; start doing it a little bit each day. The impact sleep has on learning and behavioral issues is quite incredible so make sure everyone is well rested.

Dress junior for junior

As much as you want to send them off in some sweet smocked and monogrammed concoction, try and remember that it will not be the other moms that they will be playing with, but the other kids, who really won’t relate to the three-piece sailor suit. Remember how your confidence plummets when you don’t like the way you look—the same applies to your little one, so save the bowties and suspenders for another day unless, of course, that’s how junior likes to roll!

Exude confidence (even if it’s fake!)

Accept that there will always be someone taking the first day to an extra level that will make you feel like you didn’t do enough. Yep, there will be people snapping their annual first-day pictures with handmade signs sewn by grandmothers; there will be that person who apparently has way more information than you and brings their child to school with an instrument, stationery kit, item for show and tell—or some other item you did not know was required. What matters is that you reassure your little one, all they need today is to have fun and get to know their new friends and teachers. You will find out everything they need and make sure they have it before the end of the week by talking to their teacher. That’s right, you’ve totally got this, thinking on your feet, problem solver—that’s what makes you a super mom! Confidence, even if you have to fake it, is key!

Stay connected

Remember that very quickly your child will be an expert on their day and know far more about it than you. Be sure to connect after school but don’t worry if the, “How was your day?” question gets nothing but a totally generic answer or, my favorite, “I can’t remember.” You’ll have better luck with less open-ended questions like: “Tell me three things about your day I don’t already know,” or, “Tell me one good and one bad thing about your day,” or, “Give me one thing about tomorrow that you are excited about tonight.”

Save the frenzy

The first day of school is cool, but you know what’s even more brilliant? The LAST day. After all, that is something to celebrate—a whole year at school! Teaching our children to celebrate their accomplishments and hard work when they have finished is a better life lesson than putting so much emphasis on something before it’s even begun. Besides, you’ll have the rest of the year to figure out how to get them to love bowties and plan something insane!

Tags: Back to school, back to school shopping, first day of school, preparing for school, preschool, rosie pope