Guiding Insights: Back to School

Did you notice?

We have a new name for our parenting newsletter - Guiding Insights. And we hope that is just what we are sharing with you – information, ideas, new perspectives, practical tips -- guiding insights to support you in supporting the little ones in your life.

Back to School: New Beginnings and Transitions

It’s been fun seeing all the back-to-school pictures of happy kids on their first day of the new school year! Some kids are already fully into the swing of things, while others are just getting started. Parents are experiencing an array of emotions as well – some relieved to get back into a more normal routine, and others with bittersweet feelings watching little ones growing up.

Our own responses make such a difference for our kids. If you’re having worries as they start this new phase, make sure not to let on. We want to give them the message: “you’ve got this!” Our confidence helps them feel more confident. I, Tammy, still remember dropping off my youngest for the first time. His teacher gently unfurling his grip from around my neck, that sad, sweet, crying face in the window. I cried all the way to work – and I knew the drill, having been on the other side of it for years. But we both survived and thrived.

If the new school year brings bittersweet feelings as you are faced with letting go as your little one ventures out on their own, you might enjoy the article on our website,

Stepping In & Stepping Back: Letting Go – Again

As we all adjust to the array of emotions and changes the new school year brings, one of the best ways to start things off is putting in place supportive routines. In our last Podcast, Back to School Tips: Easier Mornings & Smooth Transitions, we talk about just that, as well as supporting the varying emotions our kids have transitioning in and out of the school day. Have a listen!

Speaking of Podcasts…

How often do you tell your child “No!?”

For most of us, it’s likely pretty frequent. How often do they tell you “No?” And what do you do when they do? In the next episode of The Guiding Parent Podcast, coming out next week, that is what we’re talking about – all those No’s. What if we turned some of them into Yes. Afterall, it is much harder to argue with yes. And why it can actually be developmentally important for our kids to tell us no – within reason, of course.

So, until next time…

With you on the journey,

~ Shannon & Tammy

“There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots; the other, wings.”
~Unknown

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The Guiding Mindset Newsletter brought to you by:
Tammy Ulrich - parenting & early childhood educator
and her daughter, Shannon Achilles, mom to 10 year old H.