Back to school meant back-to-stress for me. In elementary school, I stressed about what teacher I’d get. In junior high, I worried about whether I’d have friends in my classes, who I’d eat lunch with, and how my Aqua-Netted hair could possibly stay in place despite the Houston humidity… and gravity itself. In high school, I stressed about getting to class on time because of all the buildings and the required restroom break to fix my sky-high hair. (Big hair was a theme people).
Maybe your child is stressed out about going back to school too.
Maybe your child is starting a new school. Maybe she’s an over-achiever who’s carrying the weight of being perfect, doing life perfectly, and curating the perfect social media feed. Maybe he’s nervous about balancing All The Things with excellence.
Back-to-school stress for kids is real y’all.
I’m no expert, counselor, or psychologist. I am a mom to two girls who are nervous about school starting.
We’re going to look to Moses as we help our kids navigate back-to-school stress.
Jill, did you just compare my child’s back-to-school stress with Moses leading two million people out of the desert?
Yes, yes I did.
Just like Moses, our kids’ stress is real.
Moses had real concerns: a tyrant calling the shots, the daunting task of leading two million people, and a speech impediment.
Our kids have real stress too. Stress that seems just as real as parting the Red Sea. The American Psychological Association released a 2014 study that says that the stress level of students is equal to that of adults. Our kids worry about managing AP classes, club sports, and social media feedback. They worry about switching classes, having a friend to eat lunch with, and making good grades.
So what’s a try-hard mom to do?
