Question of the month

It's back to school time! Or for some little ones, it's about to be their first time at school. What are your best back to school tips?

Do you have any tips for the nervous parents out there sending their kids for the first time?

My biggest tip is "know your kid".  My son does well in new situations but he'll lean on me and my husband if we're there.  On his first day of school last year we got him on the bus no problem... then we rushed to school to make sure he would do well in his new classroom.  When it was time for me to leave he lost it, sobbed and had to be physically removed from me.  I am positive that had I never gone to the school he would have been fine.

We repeated this scene several times over the year - when I went to his Christmas concert and it was time for me to leave and when I went in to volunteer for one morning.  He is fine without me but can't handle me leaving him if I'm there. So this year I put him on the bus and let that be that, and he had a great time at school. I won't be volunteering this year, or going in to check on him because for MY son that makes things worse.

What about you? What are your tips for parents based on your experiences?