Kindergarten, Here I Come!

Entering Kindergarten can be both an exciting and terrifying experience for a child. It’s a milestone that children and their parents likely remember for a lifetime. Often, however, the worry that accompanies this transition can often put a dark cloud over that first day of school. There are many things moms and dads can do to ease the fears of their child and themselves.

1.Meet the teacher. Many schools have orientation days were kids can see their classrooms and meet their teachers. This is important for both parents and their children to attend. Knowing what to expect can greatly reduce fears that first day.

2.Practice the route. Walking with older siblings or riding the bus for the first time can be terrifying for a young child. Going through the motions can really help ease fears. Practice walking the route to school, or the bus stop, and show them were to enter the school.

3.Meet the Kids. It is much easier to adjust to new situations with friends. If your child doesn’t already know other kids in their class, arrange for them to meet some. Most schools can let you know who will be in your child’s class. Call a few and try to arrange a time for all of you to get together. Maybe even at the school’s playground.

4.Relax! Kids often get their feelings about a new situation from their parents. If you are worried or nervous, they will be too. Focus on making the process enjoyable and fun. Don’t fill yourself or your child with expectations for how this first day will go. It will be what it will be... a memory special to your family story.

No More “Four Eyes!”

Getting glasses can be an adjustment for many kids. They often worry that they will be made fun of by their peers. But a new study may give them some peace of mind on the matter. A study, published in the May issue of the journal Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics, found that children between the ages of 6 and 10 actually found kids who wear glasses to be smarter and more honest. It was also clear that the children did not believe the kids who wear glasses to be any less attractive. The study included 80 children (42 girls and 38 boys) who also did not judge peers who wear glasses in terms of athletic ability or potential as a playmate. Good news to give your child!

Growing Up

My oldest child will become a teenager this week. I remember holding him as a baby...looking at that little face and imagining what he would grow to be. It seemed like so far away in the future. Now I watch him biking down the street to his friends, getting slammed by hockey pucks launched by boys that are taller than me, or simply reading in bed with his feet getting closer and closer to the edge. He doesn’t cry anymore when he gets hurt. He just winces a little when I clean his cuts. His once toothless smile has braces with colored bands and his hair has grown long under the baseball cap he always wears. We have conversations about sports or the news or things that happened in his day and, once in a while, I’ll hear the occasional “crap” come out of his mouth. He’s begun to have his own experiences separate from me. I know that there are parts of his life that I don’t know about and I hold my breath hoping that he is good and happy and safe. Every once in a while he’ll give me a hug or I’ll watch him sleeping and he still seems somehow small. I dream about this next stage of his life and realize how proud I am of all he has done so far. Happy Birthday!