What Parents Should Know About Sending Kids Back To School

It's back to school week...do you every wonder what is going on in our kids heads?

“Kids are going to be full of feelings about starting school and the feelings of excitement and nervousness live right next door to each other,” said Betsy Brown Braun, the child development and behavior specialist and author of “Just Tell Me What to Say.”

The beauty of this transition period is that it’s an opportunity for parents and kids to explore the mixed emotions that crop up as summer vacation ends and as they say hello to new expectations. So as you figure out your kids’ sports schedule, or order new highlighters, involve your kids in the process, no matter how old they are. Take time to talk with them about what they’ve liked or disliked about school in the past, what they’re ready to do differently this year, and how you can help them prepare.

“It’s so important not to try to minimize your child’s feelings about what’s happening. Children of any age want to know that their feelings matter,” said Rachel Simmons, co-founder of the national nonprofit Girls Leadership and author of the forthcoming book “Enough as She Is.” “You don’t have to worry that you will exacerbate her feelings by validating them. You actually will make her feel more comfortable and capable of managing them.”