Your moment for this week
Protect one little pocket in the week where nobody needs to accomplish anything.
For us, it has been Thursday afternoons. My son’s school gets out early, and so far we’ve gone out into nature afterward and ended up by the water. The kids play, my son builds dams, we find rocks, sometimes we bring a snack. There isn’t much of a plan. There is just something so soothing about being outside after a full school day.
So this week, I invite you to choose one little landing place of your own. It could be twenty minutes outside after school, a walk, a playground, sitting near water if you have it, or letting everyone wander around the yard before going inside. It doesn’t need to become an outing, and it doesn’t have to fix anything. Just give everyone a little room to come down before the next thing begins.
Here’s how our first few days actually panned out. My seven-year-old went back to the same classmates, the same teacher and, surprisingly, even the same teaching assistant. As we walked toward school that first morning, he came in close to me and started looking around. He noticed that the other kids were staying really close to their mamas too. He was nervous, shy, a little scared, and trying to explain another feeling that was almost like embarrassment at seeing everyone again after such a long time. But he was laughing while he said it, and noticing that everybody else seemed to be feeling some version of the same thing. It was actually really sweet.
My three-year-old had spent the days before her return saying, “No. I stay home,” while we kept assuring her, “Not today. Tomorrow.” When tomorrow finally became today, she still said no. Of course. But when we arrived at her playgarden, she showed no signs of resistance. She waltzed right in, so happy to see everyone, and they were so happy to see her. She barely remembered to say goodbye to me.
So yes. The beginning was good. And then real life arrived.
This week my son got his first behavior note home. I’m not going to share what happened because that part belongs to him, but I will say that the evening afterward was really unpleasant for all of us. There was too much talking, guilt spirals, a child who didn’t want to listen anymore and definitely didn’t want to keep talking about it, and parents trying very hard to deal with something well while probably making it feel heavier and heavier. You know those evenings where everyone starts with the intention of making something better and somehow nobody feels better by the end? That.
Apparently back-to-school rhythm is not something you establish during the first three cheerful days and then simply keep. We’re a week in, everyone is more tired, expectations are real again, and the easy first-day energy has worn off a little.
Which is why I’m paying attention to what actually seems to help.
Thursday afternoons by the water are one of those things. I want to keep them going for as long as we reasonably can. Not because nature solves behavior problems. It doesn’t. But there is something about giving everybody a little space to move and dig and build and stare at the water that feels different from coming home and immediately moving into the next demand.
Maybe that’s part of finding our rhythm too. Not getting everything right. Just noticing the small things that seem to make the days feel a little better, and keeping those when we can.
Your turn
What is actually helping in your house right now? Not what you planned to do for back to school. What have you tried, or accidentally stumbled into, that genuinely makes the day feel a little easier?
Hit reply and tell me. I would love to hear it.
Warmly,
Gloria
PS: Here is a pretty designed version for your Moment Card this week :)
