Whether you work from home, out of your home, or you’re a full-time parent, school days can be a major challenge. From the moment you wake up until it’s time to go to bed, you are on the clock in one form or another. It can all lead to more than a headache – it can also lead to a stress-induced panic attack. Fortunately for parents, there are a few steps you can take to simplify school days to make everything go just a little bit smoother.
Take Time to Prepare
Effective preparation can limit a great deal of stress. It should start with some form of a family calendar. Everyone should write or enter any school events, ball games, dance recitals, and any other tasks on that calendar. Every weekend, you can take a look at what’s ahead and prepare.
Once you know what to prepare for, have all of your kids gather their uniforms, school clothes, and any supplies they might need. If possible, set a closet or a section of a room aside for all of these items to go.
Also, have a launch area. Everyone should leave their backpacks, jackets, and shoes in this area. Add a basket of socks, pens, pencils, papers, and any other supplies that they never remember they need until the last minute or can never seem to find. It’s also a good idea to have a place to hang your keys, place field trip permission slips, and even hairbrushes and ponytail holders. Setting up a space like this can take a great deal of stress out of your day.
Take Advantage of Student Transportation
How many days do you struggle to figure out how to get everyone where they need to go? Maybe your daughter has dance practice at the same time as your son has soccer – all the way on the other side of town.
Or maybe your kids get out of school before you get out of work and you have no one else to pick them up. You start to wonder if working outside of your home is worth it since you have so many obligations.
If you find yourself in such a predicament, there is a solution: student transportation services like Zum. Just like you can call an Uber to get you to a meeting – or work if your car breaks down – student transportation services can get your children to and from school, practices, and wherever you need them to go.
It’s understandable that you might feel a bit frightened about sending your child off with a stranger. However, these companies realize that and do their best to ensure their utmost safety. All drivers must have a clean driving record, pass an extensive background check, and more. Additionally, they prefer to hire drivers with childcare experience so that they treat your children as they should be treated.
These two steps might not fix all of the stress in your day. However, they can certainly minimize it so that you can focus on other things.
