With the start of a new school year just a few weeks away, kids are starting to feel the jitters. Many homes will go through a roller-coaster of emotion in the weeks ahead, but shopping, checklists, calendars, and schedules will dominate our daily conversations.
For parents, one approach to the craziness of these weeks is to white-knuckle it. In this scenario, our kids will likely see us as busy and irritable. They may be wrestling with fears, anxieties, and hopes—a worry about a friend group, or a difficult academic subject, or just excitement about trying something new. And while they are pondering what lies ahead, we may be too distracted to listen.
Another approach, however, is to offer up the flux and stress of these weeks and begin setting the deeper tone for the year ahead. This week’s focus is on Person & Relationships, deepening our family’s communion in the image of the Trinity, and back to school jitters is the perfect time to tend this level!
If we get on the same page with our children now, then as we navigate the roller-coaster of August, we can intersperse the busyness with meaningful touchpoints to make their transition more peaceful. Here are three ways we can strengthen Level 2 in the lead-up to the new school year:
- Plan a one-on-one date with each of the kids. Maybe it’s treating them to lunch, or a walk, or a focused talk in a quiet place at home. Wherever it is, our job is to ask questions, listen, and discern if there are deeper concerns that need to be addressed.
- If we’re out of practice, we need to get back to family prayer. Whether it’s the family Rosary, evening prayer with the Magnificat, or a hymn sing, parents can set the tone by bringing the daily stress and back-to-school anticipation to the Lord.
- Make a last hurrah day-trip or outing, and lead an “inventory of gratitude.” Over lunch or dinner, invite each family member to share what they’re grateful for as they reflect back on the summer. This profound habit—which we should even consider as a daily practice—can help our kids begin the new school year on the right foot.
Yes, big checklists and busy calendars await us, dear fellow parents! Most likely, we’ll have our moments when we stumble into an unhealthy response to the stress. But the Lord invites us to a better way—a deepening of love in our family’s own communion of persons—in these final weeks with our children before they return to school.
> In case you missed it, here is the recent Catholic News Agency article on our new Trinity House Community Groups, “New Catholic Ministry Invites the Whole Family to Grow in their Faith and in Community.” A growing number of parishes are signing up.
> “Back to School Tips” (Catholic Standard) offers helpful, age-specific recommendations.
> “Back-to-School Tips for Catholic Students, Families” (Jersey Catholic) includes tips such as “create a bedtime routine” and spending time together, especially over family meals.
> There’s still time to launch a Trinity House Community Group at your parish this fall! With the launch of our parish-based model, any parish can access all the tools needed to host 5 Gatherings for families in 2023-2024, including videos, discussion questions, marketing templates, catechetical resources, ongoing support, and more.
Participants share with us that they are blessed by the vision and framework of family life, the practical strategies, the friendships they build with other couples, and the enjoyment their kids have. Watch our one-minute trailer video and learn more here. Schedule a 15-min. demonstration to learn more at our calendar here!
“The Trinity House Community Group gatherings have been a huge blessing to our family and community. It has filled a great need for connection within our parish families and it has strengthened our family to be around others who are on this journey. We hope many other parishes enjoy the benefits of these Christ-centered meetings of families.”
—Francis and Mary DuBois, Leesburg
