From the Co-Chair

From the Co-Chair

Time for “back-to-school.”

At the height of this summer’s heat wave, it felt like summer stretched ahead of us. We had plenty of time and lots to do on our “Camp Mom Days”. This activity was in addition to actual organised camp days. There were pools to cool off in, berries to pick, and shady forests to explore.

Then, suddenly, the children required new “Finken” (house slippers); their feet had grown two shoe sizes. Furthermore, we needed to prepare “z’nuni” boxes for mornings.

It was time for the back-to-school routine.

Restraint Collapse

Our house’s first week after the summer holidays felt more like two weeks.

We tried to have easy afternoons and leave time for the “after-school restraint collapse” – Indeed, we all had some collapsing moment’s that first week. Incidentally, these meltdowns are not just for children and after-school. You are in good company if you experience something similar after a day of work or parenting.

As much as the back-to-school routine focuses on the morning routine, the afternoon/evening routine can also be a significant part of the overall routine. More so when school ends around noon.

These past weeks, our family regrouped and reconnected with some of our favourite weekly rituals.

For instance, we brought back “Taco Tuesdays” (there was a strong demand for fish tacos). And “Breakfast for Dinner Thursdays” featuring easy oatmeal pancakes (I round up most ingredients to make a slightly larger batch and add more milk to stretch the batter).

My September is also giving me “back to school” vibes.

Preparing the family for back-to-school routines, I realised how this time of the year also offers encouragement for me to try something new.

For one, my running shoes were sporting holes, so I joined the children in acquiring a new pair of shoes. Also, I signed up for a new German course in the park.

Beginnings and endings

In parenting, poignant beginnings sometimes catch me by surprise. Like the first steps, the initial days of a new school year, birthdays or seeing my child try a new activity. Perhaps this is because they, too, signal that seasons are changing.