Back to School: Changes and Challenges
“Mom, I want to stay with you.”
Because the pandemic forced both parents and children to work from home, children became used to having mom and dad around all the time. This is okay to an extent; however, it can also become a burden for both the parent and the child. Many children are wary of going back to school because this would mean having no parents around for hours. As parents, one thing you can do is to practice your child’s independence. This could mean leaving him/her with a trusted babysitter or relative while you go out on errands and even dates. You can even allow your child to have sleepovers with his/her cousins and friends. This would teach your child that being separated for short times is okay and that he/she can also learn how to have fun and behave without you, so when the time for school comes, your child will not be too worried about having to go alone.
“Mom, I’m scared that I won’t have friends in school.”
As adults, a lot of us also experience social anxiety. With the pandemic that secluded us from the rest of the world and from people outside our own homes, it is no wonder that children may also face this problem. With young children who might not know anyone at school, one idea is to contact the administration and ask for a list of your child’s future classmates. With this, you can contact their parents and possibly arrange a playdate or a meetup for them so that they can get to know each other and look forward going to school and seeing familiar faces again. Other parents would also appreciate you reaching out because they might also be facing the same challenges.
“Mom, I don’t like using the restroom in school.”
One challenge that may have not even crossed your mind is the bathroom problem. Uncommon as it may seem, many children may have trouble going to the bathroom after having been so used to doing it at home. Some may feel embarrassed about the need to go, while some may simply dislike it due to sanitary reasons. For parents with children that are embarrassed to go to the restroom thinking that they may get bullied for it, one thing you can do is to reassure them that this is a normal thing that everyone goes through each and every day. You can also ask the teachers and school administration in advance where the restrooms are located, and which options your child has. You never know, some school bathrooms may be less crowded and allow your child more privacy. As for parents with children concerned about the state of public restrooms, you can help them practice good bathroom hygiene. You may even opt to go out so that they can try public restrooms and you can be there to help guide them through all the steps on how they can go in a hygienic way.
Oh, you can also prepare a hygiene kit that they can bring to school every day. You can even include a small container of Nature to Nurture hand soap to make sure that they can always wash their hands with soap after using the restroom, which is a good habit to build.
“Mom, I don’t wanna go to sleep yet.”
Possibly one of the best benefit of the home classes setup is the convenience from traffic. And so, it is only natural for majority of students to have a later morning alarm and sleeping schedule. With the incoming face-to-face classes, they would need to get up at an earlier time once again. To help with this adjustment, you can help by slowly move their sleeping schedule earlier – that is, moving it 30 mins earlier every week so that their body would be able to absorb the change better. Parents should also stick to this schedule and prioritize it as a non-negotiable. An immediate and gradual change in sleeping time would not benefit anyone as the body also needs to adjust.
“Mom, I don’t wanna go to school anymore.”
We’ve all felt the lack of motivation at some point in our lives and children also face this challenge when it comes to schooling. One of the best ways that you can keep your child motivated is to always notice the good, not matter how small. By this, we mean praises and appreciation for something as small as waking up early to as big as getting high honors at the end of each grading period. Another way to motivate them is to get them to look forward to something, such as a movie night at the end of each week or a small family vacation every once in a while. A reward system could also work for many children. These rewards don’t really have to cost a lot, just think of something that your child will appreciate.
Now that we got some of the most common challenges that your children may face when they go back to school covered, we hope that they will learn to enjoy face-to-face classes again. Since they will also be more active by coming to and from school and playing with their friends during breaks, they will surely feel the heat of the sun more.
As parents, we always look out for our children’s comfort, which is why we usually skip out and overlook an essential step in keeping their skin healthy and hydrated before they go to school since lotions usually feel heavy and hot especially when we step out in the summer heat. This is why we are proud to introduce our newest product – Nature to Nurture Daily Baby Lotion. Our formulation leaves behind a powdery matte finish, which feels light and fresh. As we like to say, “Just because you can’t feel it, doesn’t mean it’s not there.” Now, you don’t have to worry about skipping out on moisturizing your child’s skin with this lotion that’s specially made for our tropical country.
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