With the start of a new school year just a few weeks away, kids are starting to feel the
jitters. Many homes will go through a roller-coaster of emotion in the weeks ahead, but
shopping, checklists, calendars, and schedules will dominate our daily conversations.

For parents, one approach to the craziness of these weeks is to white-knuckle it. In this scenario,
our kids will likely see us as busy and irritable. They may be wrestling with fears, anxieties, and
hopes—a worry about a friend group, a difficult academic subject, or just excitement about
trying something new. And while they are pondering what lies ahead, we may be too distracted
to listen.

Another approach, however, is to offer up the flux and stress of these weeks and begin setting the
deeper tone for the year ahead. Now is the perfect time to focus on deepening our family’s
communion in the image of the Trinity, as our kids start to feel the back-to-school jitters.

If we get on the same page with our children now, then as we navigate the roller-coaster of
August, we can intersperse the busyness with meaningful touchpoints to make their transition
more peaceful. Here are three ways we can strengthen those relationships in the lead-up to the
new school year:

• Plan a one-on-one date with each of the kids. Maybe it’s treating them to lunch, or a
  walk, or a focused talk in a quiet place at home. Wherever it is, our job is to ask
  questions, listen, and discern if there are deeper concerns that need to be addressed.
• If we’re out of practice, we need to get back to family prayer. Whether it’s the family
  Rosary, evening prayer with the Magnificat, or singing a hymn, parents can set the tone by
  bringing the daily stress and back-to-school anticipation to the Lord.
• Make a last hurrah day-trip or outing, and lead an “inventory of gratitude.” Over lunch or
  dinner, invite each family member to share what they’re grateful for as they reflect back
  on the summer. This profound habit—which we should even consider as a daily
  practice—can help our kids begin the new school year on the right foot.

Yes, big checklists and busy calendars await us, dear fellow parents! Most likely, we’ll have our
moments when we stumble into an unhealthy response to the stress. But the Lord invites us to a
better way—a deepening of love in our family’s own communion of persons—in these final
weeks with our children before they return to school.

“Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your
requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your
hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7).