Get Your Kids Ready For Back-to-School and Other Quotables

It's back-to-school season! You know what that means- fall is coming, the weather's cooling down finally, and getting your reluctant kids out of bed for another 10 months of schooling. We asked some New York area parents how they get their kids ready for school. Plus, read how our favorite bloggers deal with back-to-school stress and make time for some relaxation amidst the craziness. And don't forget to check out our original comic to see what's cute in babies, but not really in dads.

How do you get your kids excited to go back to school?

“I tell my daughter my favorite memory from whichever grade she’s entering that year. This year she will be going into second grade, so I told her that was the year I won an award at the science fair. She’s psyched!”

—Melissa Ann Ferreira, Queens
 

“Tell them they’ll be able to see their friends every day.” 

—Noelle Sarno Uno, Brooklyn
 

“I look up really cool DIY projects for school supplies and once a week throughout the summer we make the projects ourselves. My daughter can’t wait to show her friends all the cool stuff we made for school.”

—Tyaisha Harvey Greene, Suffolk

“I would leave notes in my children’s lunchboxes to get them excited and remind them that I love them.”

—Adena Saperstein, Nassau

“We go to Target and get back-to-school supplies!”

—Melissa Brown Eisenberg, Westchester

“I remind them that they can’t go back to camp until they finish another year of school!”

—Lisa Novick Bloom, Manhattan

“We talk about the exciting things they will learn in their new grade and all the upcoming fall happenings they look forward to.”

—Tara Suzanne, Rockland

Make Time for Downtime

"Downtime is rare in the life of a mom. Between deciding on schools and creating spreadsheets, it seems the day has begun and finished before we’ve had time to take a single breath. Downtime might seem like a thing of legend to us, but it can be a reality if we make it a priority. How we each make it happen is up to us, but happen it must."

— Jazmin Cybulski, in a post entitled “Simple Ways to Minimize the Stress of Being a Supermom”

Don't Stress Too Much About School

“Are you stressing about gathering school supplies, schedules and time management? Parental stress can be picked up by your child so stay calm, watch what you say, and show confidence.”

— Michelle Spreckels, in a post entitled “How to Ease Back-to-School Anxiety”

Let Tweens Argue

“Rather than shut down arguments, give your child ample time to execute her case. Arguing is a critical skill that tweens desperately need as they proceed into adolescence. Think about it: To turn down a beer at a party or resist a boyfriend’s sexual advances, your child needs a strong argumentative muscle. Standing up to you serves as practice for standing up for his or her beliefs and values.”

— Margaret Sagarese in an article entitled “Why Your Difficult Tween is Right on Track”