Help your kid transition to the 2023 summer calendar

It’s the home stretch of school year 2022-23, a year full of adjustment and finding the “new normal”. This time of year is also known as the 100 Days of May! It is a very challenging time of year for kids and parents.

The 2023 summer calendar can’t start soon enough

Ah, the summer transition. Kids are chomping at the bit for summer vacation and parents are being bombarded by end of year concerts, performances, projects, teachers' gifts, parties, requests for brownies for another class celebration, graduations, field trips... I remember when my oldest was in second grade and someone handed me a roll of raffle tickets mid-May and I burst into tears.

Once those overflowing backpacks full of art and essays are finally dumped by the doorway, before you can even take a breath… SUMMER!!! New schedule, camps, carpools...

The 2023 summer calendar and summer transition can cause anxiety

I’m here to remind everyone to EXPECT some anxiety to pop up. Transition is hard, especially for people with anxiety! Even good change can bring about big feelings. As the endless/split-second crawl/sprint to summer progresses, some predictable thought patterns can show up for parents too. That catastrophic thinking about what is ahead may grab your attention; the rumination may sneak in and entangle you in wondering if you have done enough this year. In the whirl and swirl, take a deep breath, feel your feet on the ground, come into the present moment, and look at that great kid of yours, that second or fourth grader, that kindergartener or freshman, see them in this moment, finishing up this grade, and you in this moment, as their mom or dad having parented them through a year of joy and tears, notice the love and pride in your heart. The days are long and the years short, and it's all a series of moments and moments and moments.