Happy New Year! We are so happy to welcome students back to school this week! We hope that you had time to rest, enjoy time with family and friends and think about your hopes for the year ahead.
We recognize that the holiday season can be stressful and look forward to a fresh start. Getting back into a routine can be difficult but makes us hopeful for what is ahead. The first few days back this year will have a few of our students feeling tired, grumpy, or anxious. Others may feel excited, happy and eager to return. Adults and parents may feel the same. All of these feelings are ok and normal. Getting back to routine is so important for kids, and people of all ages too!
Mrs. Freheit has talked about routines and boundaries comparing kids to fish in a fish tank. When you first put the fish in the water, they swim around frantically, bumping into the glass. Once they know the boundaries, however, they calm down, and rarely hit the glass ever again. Boundaries can be hard at first, but we need them, and kids do well with them.
Of course, kids are a little more complex than fish, and will continue to test those boundaries once in a while; some kids with more frequency than others. I’m sure you’ve heard it a thousand times, but one trick to reducing the frequency of the testing is consistency. The more consistent we are, the more secure our kids are in the boundaries, and the less often they’ll try inappropriate behavior. This is one of the reasons January can feel so refreshing, getting back to routines and boundaries can be exactly what so many of us need, especially children!
We hope that whatever your new year might look like, what your goals and hopes may be, that you find some time to focus on you and your children right now. Find something to be happy about. Find something to be grateful for. Find something to motivate you and give you hope for the year ahead.
We are here if you need us, have questions or concerns. If you find you are needing extra supports at home, remember that our community has some great services to offer. Check down below for some more information and upcoming classes offered in the community!
Have a great January and 2023!