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Quick show of hands, who’s ready to go back to school in a few weeks? Obviously I can’t see you, but if I could, I can pretty much guarantee that your hand would be firmly pointed towards the ground and not even the tiniest bit raised. It’s ok, me too.
During these unprecedented times there is so much uncertainty and figuring it out as we go. School districts in our area are updating parents daily on their return to school plans and then change them just as quickly. And I think we’re all more than a bit burnt out from surviving amidst a pandemic over the last 5 months. What a year.
When things start to feel especially overwhelming I find it helps to focus on the good. As easy as it would be to write a list of all of the things keeping me up at night, today I’m going to share a few of the things that I’m looking forward to as we head back to school.
Kindergarten!
Like it or not, we officially have a kindergartner this year! Annabelle could not be more excited for her first official year of school and while she’ll always be my baby, she really is ready. She loves learning, she’s become an amazing reader over the past few months, and she loves everything about school {except rest time}. Regardless of how school might look this year, we’re going to celebrate this milestone and cheer her on every step of the way.
2. Routine!
We are a family that thrives on routine. We love bedtimes, grocery lists, pizza night, and stability. As fun as the summer is {and gosh is it fun!} there’s something so great about getting back into a routine. As of right now, the girls will both be doing in person learning five days/week which means packing lunches, pickups, and drop-offs, and probably even homework. I know they’ll both want to relax and spend some time on their devices when they get home each day, which we’re happy to accommodate within reason. It’s so nice that Xfinity offers Parental Controls, which means we can pause WiFi to any connected device at any time. Because when mama says it’s time for dinner, it’s time for dinner.
3. Technology!
Like it or not, technology is part of our everyday lives and that includes our kids’ lives too. For as bad of a rap as it sometimes gets, I’m not sure how we would have survived the last few months without it. Within a day, our entire family transitioned from working in offices and going to school, to completely virtual versions of those things, without missing a beat. And when we’re inevitably faced with similar challenges during this school year, it’s nice to know we have technology to support us during that process. While I’ve mentioned that our plan for right now is in-person learning, I realize that can change at any time and that plenty of parents are starting the school year virtually. For extra reassurance, Xfinity’s public WiFi hotspots will be open to anyone {even non-customers!} for unlimited access through 2020. Finally, something we can plan on!
So let’s all take a collective deep breath and try to relax, just a bit. Because if there’s one thing we’ve learned in the time of coronavirus, it’s that there is so much good even in the bad. And these kids are stronger than we could have ever imagined – most days even stronger than their parents!
I’d love to hear what your plan is for back to school. Feel free to leave a comment below if you feel comfortable sharing! xo
