What do you get when you’ve: 1) Hustled for the last round of back-to-school essentials (pencil, paper, clean clothes); 2) Tackled all of the desired hair cuts without fusses (neglecting your own); and 3) Effortlessly packed (crammed) your child’s favorite PB&J sandwich in a superbly-arranged lunch box (or brown paper bag)?
You get: Cool first-day-of-school photos (or just out the door)! Ba dum tss.
I know. That was so bad. But you get the point — parent priorities vs. adolescents. (And speaking of PB&J, do y’all like the crust on or off?)
Most young people don’t care about how we (parents) struggle to get them to the finish line, as long as the memory is captured. But, selfishly, sometimes we just want to feel some sort of acknowledgment or appreciation of effectively getting over humps of surviving the day and preserving our sanity. Just a little bit.
Not at all that they’re (children) ungrateful, but it’s just how they process events in their underdeveloped mindset. As parents, we want our children to be equipped — knowing what’s ahead — even if we have to handle priorities for them. And as children, they just want to live in the moment. We totally get that, and believe their hearts and intentions are good. It’s all part of growing and maturing, which is a transitional phase we will continue as long as we live.
Growth and development are closely interwoven and are critical to the foundation of teaching and learning for both adults and young people. Positive results can create a healthy character, habits, lifestyle, and overall society.
Everyone can find areas within themselves (or life) that can be improved and prioritized better, hence the intentionality of this back-to-school issue focusing on growth and development opportunities for us all. We’ve compiled some great resources for the journey: utilizing play for childhood development, tips on simplifying school-year routines, and showing integrity, kindness, and grace to encourage others. Plus, catch a glimpse of our calendar to stay in the loop on all the fun happening around town.
As we kick off the 2025-26 school year, my hope is simple. That we — parents, teachers, and the overall community — will diligently seek positive growth in ourselves and young people who are learning (watching). Teach them to consistently choose to “do good, and be better.”
Best wishes this school year, and take lots of photos to commemorate growth!
Later, my friends!
Erika Cain