Note: This is Part 2 of a two-part series on tips divorced dads can use to simplify the back-to-school transition. Part 1 outlined the importance of establishing a routine schedule.
Help Your Kids Help You
Adjusting to the back-to-school schedule is a lot less painful when getting your children in on establishing what will become routine. Try to teach them how to create schedules and set goals to accomplish for themselves. For example, you can show them how to plan for homework, schedule in after school snacks, make time for outside activities and so forth.
Aside from lightening the load on your behalf, this is an effective strategy that will help your kids become more familiar with the discipline and responsibility that prepares them for the world they encounter away from school grounds. These are skills that can never be adopted too early.
Take the Load Off
Though most of us do not have the luxury of a three-month break from work, summer still tends to be a much more calmer and relaxing time in comparison to the school season. The increase in pace alone is enough to make things more frustrating and chaotic.
If you are someone who has had to adjust to just rolling over at 10:00 am to waking up and running about like a headless chicken in the dreadful hours of the early morning, you know how crazy this transition can be. Factor in sports, scouts and other extracurricular activities, and you have even more duties that can take a major toll on your psyche.
Back to school can be a very stressful time to say the least and that stress must be limited if you are going to have any chance of managing the madness with success. To cope with it all, try finding some routine activities that allow you to relax.
This could be stuff you put on the schedule to do with your kids, quality time with that special lady in your life, or simply taking a daily walk around the track to let off steam. At the very least, you can wake up earlier to give yourself enough time to sit, think, and relax.
That peaceful solitude can make all the difference in being able to cope with the day ahead.
Good Luck
Adjusting to the back-to-school schedule is all about getting into a routine. Once that routine has been created, it will serve as the blueprint for everyone to follow, allowing for a transition that flows as smooth as possible.
By getting your kids involved and giving them a role in how this routine plays out, they will be much better at managing the change that comes with transition, picking up valuable skills for the future along the way.
Sure, things may not always go as planned, but developing a routine and sticking it to will help bring the type of structure and stability that strengthens your household in the long run.
Note: This is Part 2 of a two-part series on tips divorced dads can use to simplify the back-to-school transition. Part 1 outlined the importance of establishing a routine schedule.
Contel Bradford is a professional freelance writer, journalist, and published author of multiple books. He specializes in many areas, including legal, divorce, and family-related topics. You can learn more about his services by visiting www.contelbradford.com.
