Back to School Anxiety

I'm not just talking about the anxiety it causes in children, but the parents as well.

First, the children. Just think about all the worries swirling around their young minds as they prepare to enter another school year. They worry about their clothes and fitting in. They worry about the schoolwork in itself. Will it be much harder this year? Will I be able to handle the work? They worry about friends and new teachers. Imagine having to change jobs every year and all the anxiety that goes along with it. This is precisely what our children deal with every new school year.

Now let's think about the parents/guardians of these youngsters. As parents, worry is par for the course. We generally worry about everything involving our children. From the most mundane to the issues which truly merit worry. I, on one hand, look forward to my girls heading back to school. I work from home and having them underfoot all summer can be slightly distracting, if you know what I mean. ;) On the other hand, it upsets and worries me to no end. I know it's not right to worry about my children 'fitting in' with the others, but the truth is, it does matter immensely. I don't want my girls to be outcasts. It's not right nor is it fair, but it's the way the world is. I worry about their worries. I worry about their new teacher. I worry about the ever increasing amount of homework they'll have. And, I mostly worry about leaving them in the care of someone else all day long. I don't doubt our school district's teachers but it is difficult in this ever changing world to trust someone else with your most prized possessions.

So I practice breathing techniques regularly to help curb the anxiety. I've been both meditating and power walking daily in the hopes that it will help to calm me. As for my girls, I tell them they are beautiful and smart. They always get straight A's. I encourage them to be excited about this new adventure. Which is what it is, an adventure. And that should be fun and good, right? So why do I worry so much about this?