Adjusting to an early morning start and getting kids to school on time is just half the battle.
“Back to school anxiety is just something many, many people, if not everyone goes through,” said Jessica Olmo.
But, when you add in after school activities like sports or clubs, it may feel like there just aren’t enough hours in the day.
“Especially, when you have a family with multiple children that have vastly different schedules, there’s just a lot more planning - a lot more rigidness is the best word to say when it comes to school time versus summertime.”
Not even Jessica, whose daughter is attending pre-school for the first time, is immune to back to school anxiety.
“Will the kids be nice to her? Will she be happy at school? Is my kid going to be the one who doesn’t listen? Or, is she going to be the best kid in school.”
Jessica says she’s working hard to keep it in check.
“If they see you being nervous then they think, ‘Well, I should be nervous.’ You’re their biggest role model.”
Kids take their cues from their caregivers so it’s up to adults to model the behavior they hope to see.
“Set your kids up for success and even talk to them … about you being nervous. It’s ok to talk with your kids about that. They understand … more than you think and you can talk them through how to handle that and how to be confident even while you’re still nervous.”