It’s that time of year again! Remember the old Staples commercials? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOuzsk36vjM “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!” The dad is literally dancing through the aisles of the store tossing a plethora of school supplies into the cart, with the kids, listless, trailing behind. We all loved it!

But, did we? That commercial, I swear, showed up just after the Fourth of July! Summer was shrinking away, and yet it had only just gotten started. “You teachers have it so good!” I’d hear over and over again, supposedly a joke. But. Was it? It’s not easy juggling kids all summer long. I get it. I too had kids at home, and sometimes a houseful of everyone else’s kids.

For me, when mid-August rolled around, I had mixed feelings! We all needed to get a little bit of structure back in our lives, I knew that. I’d start to replay the tapes from the previous school year, reimagine my game plan, and get to know my incoming students on paper, anyway. I could do a little planning, dress up my classroom. My kids hated that in between time, where it wasn’t quite back to school time yet, but the work had already begun separating summer from fall in our lives.

We did our back-to-school shopping, but that was little consolation. It was coming. And they knew it, and so did everyone else’s kids. Staples, the clothes and shoe stores and out to lunch, it was, I always thought a whole lot of fun. But, what I needed to do was not get ahead of myself. They needed me to be mom just a little bit longer too.

I had to keep watch for the jitters, and that eventual slight case of the dread. After all, summer and the sense of adventure and wide-open space it gives us, slips away far too quickly. For kids, it’s the worry of what’s ahead. What will their teacher be like? What have they heard? Who will be in their classes? How will they navigate their lockers and their supplies? But most of all…will they fit in? That is what’s always on the minds of kids as they hop on that bus, walk in that brand new classroom door, and scan the cafeteria for a kind, familiar face.

August is the just right time to boost the conversation, engage kids in what’s to come and how they feel about that. Much like in IVY LEIGH’s story, renew and shore up the connections with teachers, other parents, neighbors, and teachers as they march ahead into another school year. They need YANA, ‘You Are Not Alone,’ the age-old message. ‘You’ve got this, but…someone will always have your back.’ There’s a special kind of comfort in that kind of knowing. Something that should not be implied but said.

Staples has the EASY button, still. But, we all know it’s never just about a collection of school supplies. Wouldn’t it be great if it was that easy? It’s a time to savor, to listen and to talk about what’s next. So simple, but something we could easily forget.

As always, I welcome your thoughts and ideas! Please feel free to comment and subscribe and to follow me at https://facebook.com/gaellynchwriter.