Out of the pool and back to school!
After traveling for the last week (even hechtips needs a vacation now and then...although a funeral isn't necessarily the ideal place to relax) I've got to tip my hat to the parents of the world. I have no earthly clue how you do it day in and day out, how my parents did it and certainly no idea how I would ever do it. After flying, spending time in line at restaurants, checking in at hotels and walking around the crowds of summer, it's clear to me that parents have a full time job trying to keep children in line. As the bright sun of summer begins to set and teachers prepare for the new year, parents run around shopping for back to school gear. Because August was always one of my least favorite months of the year, I feel for all of the kids leaving the long days of summer behind as they prepare for long school days. Whether you have kids heading off to college or back to junior high, there are many ways to make the transition less depressing for them and much easier for you. A few years ago, for example, I helped a college bound teenager face her new life away from home by making the dorm room her own. By bringing in fun pieces like beanbags and shag rugs from Pottery Barn Teen, exchanging the boring desk chair with something fun from Ikea and adding great sheets and other accessories, the new space felt more like home and less like a prison cell. I've also done the same for kids heading into a new grade or transitioning to a new school. Why not make that few weeks before school starts something as exciting as decorating a Christmas Tree or preparing for Halloween. You don't need to go overboard. Maybe tell them they have a $100 design budget, can paint one wall, choose new sheets, etc. and make it a tradition every year. That way they can get excited about what lies ahead. In a young kids room I developed a way to organize the toys in their bedroom in a similar way to how they are organized at school. I picked up inexpensive shelves from the Home Depot and colored bins, labeled them and had the kid participate in the process. They felt pride and ownership in the project, their room and will be totally prepared for the first bell of the new year.
TIME TO COMPLETE TASK: Two hours
COST: Shelves at Home Depot; $75, colored bins; $4/each
STRESS LEVEL: Helping organize a kids room that ISN'T mine: LOW
