Episode 99: From Summer to School Without Losing Your Cool
What You’ll Learn
The Week Before (01:33)
Emotional & Mental Health (12:48)
Be a Student of Your Children (30:05)
Managing Our Emotions & Health (36:15)
Takeaways (42:48)
Invitation (43:41)
Summer is the time of year that everything goes off plan...even when you've taken time to plan well...you're still off routine and flying by the seat of your pants.
Asking yourself and your kids to go from that to perfectly planned days is madness...we need a transition period. Because it's a TRANSITION! And all life transitions need a bit more love in our opinion!
Whether you homeschool, public-school, private-school, or even no-school (I'm talking about our toddler moms). Summer shakes things up for everybody! It gets dark at different times, family and friends are visiting, the weather is changing, the activities ramp up...it really doesn't matter what stage of life you're in...life gets crazy in summer
SO. How do we begin to make those transitions in ways that set you AND your people up for success?
The Week Before (01:33)
Don't start too early – you’ll set yourself up for failure.
Begin introducing routine again (gradual shifts)
begin with anchoring parts of your day & week
Wake-up and Bedtimes
Gradual shift
Even teens by 9 pm
Huberman
Says that sleep is "THE foundation of our mental and physical health and performance in all endeavors,” and also touts that sleep is the best nootropic, stress reliever, immune booster, and emotional stabilizer, among other benefits
We all function better with more sleep
Wake-up before your people – IT WILL MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE
Timely meals – no snacks!
Meal Planning
Regular home responsibilities
Laundry
Chores
Organization
Physical
Calendar
Emotional & Mental Health (12:48)
Expect...
Regressions
Potty training / bed wetting
Sleep
Attachment
Maturity
Push-back / Over-attachment
In simple requests
Helping family
Going places
Unreasonable behaviors
Whining
Meltdowns
Anger/frustration
Selfishness
We can't perfectly prepare them, but we can
Set expectations – Knowledge is power – keep kids in the lop
What we (as parents) expect of them
What THEY can expect from schedules & routines
Family wall calendar / meal planner *meal planner kit*
Clear Boundaries
Stay in communication - Give verbal updates
Be a Student of Your Children (30:05)
Understand that there are children who struggle more than others:
Resistance to change
Anxious child
Understand that plans can change
Don't forget the go with the flow or people pleaser child
Have a breaking point too
If you are a "go-er" NOT everyone in your family is...
Consider nutrient deficiencies
B12 and D3 for teens
Sunshine!!!!!
Body movement
Vitamin C
It's not our job to fix, change, or be responsible for all their emotions
Love them
Hold space
Hold boundaries!
Uncannily effective
Also uncannily difficult
Managing Our Emotions & Health (36:15)
Being a student of ourselves
Sleep
Food
Coping mechanisms that work
prayer/meditation
Being organized:
Calendar / schedule / routine – you have agency
DOWN DAYS!
Consider a "busy day"
Understand green/yellow/red zones
Consider what month....
August is insane...
Holidays are wild...
Home systems – BE kind to tomorrow's you
End of school day
Meals (huge anchor to your day)
Chores
Next day set-up
Evening routines
Takeaways (42:48)
Don't start too early – shoot for beginning transitions the week before.
Transition in gradual shifts.
Expect regressions, push-back, and unreasonable behaviors but set reasonable expectations, hold fast to your boundaries, and be a student of your children.
Remember it's not you job to fix, change, or be responsible for their emotions, it IS your job to love them, hold space, and hold boundaries.
Our own emotions and mental and physical health ARE our responsibility.
We need to begin by being a student of ourselves, choose organization and coping systems that will serve us and keep tomorrow's us in mind.
Invitation (43:41)
We talked about meal planning being an anchor to the day, so if you don’t have our meal planning kit yet, go get it here!
Remember momma…you are doing beautiful work!
