School starts this week and I am a ball of mixed emotions about the whole thing. On one hand, I will miss the kids because I have had them all summer long, but there is a plus side of more structure, earlier bedtimes, and a little alone time in the mornings. Kenley also has mixed emotions. We have been talking about the number of days left until school starts and sometimes she is really excited, and other times she gets sad because she will miss me. Brayden is overall excited to see his friends again and to have a new teacher, but I imagine that he soon will miss the freedom of summer.
Brayden had a hard time with the end of Kindergarten. He loves his teacher dearly and he couldn’t imagine not having her again. After about two weeks, he finally wasn’t seeming so sad anymore, thank goodness! It’s hard to know what to do as a parent in those situations because I want to let him have time to be sad, but I also want to encourage him. The start of another school year can be a hard adjustment, but in the end I know they will both do really well.
Before I send them off to school this year, I want to make sure that they have everything they need to start the school year off right- and for the first day, that includes a note from me and some fun Kleenex® for their book bags.
Being able to show them that I do care about their emotions on the first day of school helps them to know that it’s okay to show those emotions. I don’t want to shove them under the rug and just tell them that they will be okay. I want to show them empathy and be sensitive to the emotions that come with a new school year.
Kleenex® brand sponsored a social experiment and workshop led by Lori Nathanson, PhD, and Shauna Tominey, PhD, researchers at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, to showcase how a gesture of care and other pro-social strategies can help middle school students face the challenges of a new school year. Research at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence focuses on the power of emotions to create a more effective and compassionate society.
It was this research that served as the inspiration for the social experiment and workshop – demonstrating that when we give kids the tools to commit to care, they will, confidently. Check out this video to see how Kleenex® and empathy go hand in hand to be the top school supplies for back to school. It only takes one soft tissue to make a difference, and I hope to instill that in my kids as they go back to school.
Kenley is going to be in another year of Pre-K, so she gets to be a helper because she knows how her classroom should work. We have had several talks about being a good friend to new students who might be scared, and I think she is ready to help, and at the very least, offer a Kleenex®.
Not only do I keep Kleenex® in the kids’ book bags all year round for unexpected tears or sniffles, I keep them all over the house! With little kids, you just never know- and they are a school supply these days as well. No matter what emotions show during the first few days of school, I am ready for them!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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