A common piece of parenting advice from mental health professionals is to give your child grace during times of transition. We know that transitions can be hard for kids, in part because the areas of their brain associated with executive functioning skills are still developing. So we know to expect that they may struggle.
But what we don’t tell parents often enough is to give themselves grace during times of transitions as well. Yes, your brain is more fully developed than your child’s — but transitions of transition can be hard for adults too! Executive functioning skills aren’t the only thing that we need to get through them.
One thing we know about human brains is that they like predictability, and they like control. And during periods of transition, there’s no guarantee of either. This can lead to feelings of stress, overwhelm, discomfort, and often just an overall inability to function as well as we usually do.
So if you’re struggling to feel as calm or productive as you usually are during transitional periods (such as the end of the summer and beginning of a new school year), please do the same for yourself as you would for your kids — cut yourself some slack. On top of dealing with the transition yourself, you’re also tasked with helping your child through it — and that’s a lot to handle! So if the house isn’t as clean as you want it, or the workflow isn’t as smooth, it doesn’t mean you’re failing; it means you’re human.
Wishing all of our MSC community an easy-as-possible transition into the new school year!
