GETTING BACK IN THE GROOVE

SCHOOL-TIME COPING SKILLS CAN HELP OUR STUDENTS

As Mahoney points out, different children have different needs. A first step to helping a child adjust to the school year is figuring out their own style. “I’m thinking of my own two children. [My younger daughter’s] nickname was Fidget. I had to break up her homework. I knew that after 25 minutes, when the fidgeting started…it was breaktime.” It helps to look for patterns. “Maybe your child likes to come home and do their homework right away. But you may have another one that can’t. So rather than shaming them,” you can negotiate, like,

“Let’s do homework for 20 minutes, and then take a 10-minute break.”

Caregivers also need support systems, Mahoney says. And she’s excited to be working with NMBLC on exactly that, surveying parents to create spaces where “all caregivers in the International District can gather, and facilitate dialogue around their challenges to make things better” for them and their children. Keep an eye on this space, and the NMBLC website, as this program develops.