Communicating With Sensitivity

For many children, the end of August and the beginning of September mean one thing: the start of a new school year. Summer is at an end as now it is time to once again enter into the routine of rising early, working with teachers and tackling lesson plans. Despite the sameness of this annual ritual, for some it can be a scary prospect. For some children, this involves entering into a new school with new classmates, new teachers, new schedule, and new surroundings. Facing that collective challenge can be pretty daunting. For some, such change can be scary and even overwhelming and something to dread.

For parents with children about to enter a new school and all the unfamiliarity it represents, this represents a real communication challenge. For instance, perhaps the child is leaving preschool where they spent several years with the same teachers and classmates. Now they are about to enter into the world of kindergarten with teachers they do not know. Or a family may have moved over the summer and now the child is the "new kid" in class with no friends. Sure, these scenarios are a challenge for the parents, but they are even more so for the children. It is times like this that grown-ups need to remember that life can be a bit overwhelming for kids.

Also, it is times like this when communicating needs to be carried out with great sensitivity. It is not that children do not want to succeed in this new environment. Rather, it is that they are not sure they can. Their concerns should not be discounted or ignored. Parents should acknowledge them as being normal and justified. Further, the parents should reinforce the a reality that the child is not alone in what they are feeling. For a young child, entering into a new school is no small thing. It is a giant step  toward learning to face the same kind of unknown they will experience later on when taking one new job or entering into a serious relationship. The good news is the great majority of kids do well in addressing this challenge. Their success is made easier when their concerns are acknowledged and their feelings are treated with understanding.