Back To School Decisions – Gaining Confidence and Support

Now that you’ve most likely decided whether or not your children will be heading back to the classroom in September, you and your family may still be feeling just as much anxiety and apprehension as before. They are going to school (or learning virtually), and the days or weeks of weighing your options is behind you. So why do you still feel uncertain?

No matter which option was best for your family, it is still completely normal to doubt yourself and your decision. Your siblings or friends may not have made the same choice as you, are they right? Will they judge you? What if your decision is wrong? What if your child gets sick, or misses out on vital social time in the classroom?

No one has all the answers here, and you may never know with 100% certainty that you have made the right choice, but here are some tips to help put your and your family’s minds at ease until school begins:

1) Continue to have Age-Appropriate Conversations with your Child – How are they feeling about the family’s decision? Can you answer any questions or concerns they have? If they’re going back to the classroom, work together on practicing hand-washing and mask wearing, or what they will say and do if their friends aren’t socially distancing properly. Be careful not to project your fears onto your child, they are resilient and will go along with whatever attitude you show them.

2) Have a Counselling Session – Our staff at Front Door are always happy to help youth and families, even if it’s a one-time session to talk through a particular problem. If you need a sounding board or reassurance in your back-to-school decision, call us to set up an appointment. Your employer may also have counselling benefits you can access through your work.

3) Journal your Feelings or Write a Pros and Cons List – Sometimes it helps to just get your thoughts and feelings out, even if it’s just down on paper. Also, a pros and cons list can help confirm to yourself that you have made the right decision, or you may see things in a new light and realize a different answer than you saw before.

All in all, we are only human, and in this unprecedented situation, there is no one right answer and no answers are wrong. Every family and every child must be treated differently here, and no one knows your child better than themselves, and their parents. Have faith that you are on the right path, and if it turns out you’re not, you can always change paths down the road when the right direction becomes clearer.