Dear Reader

BTS mindset reset

Gah! How can it possibly already be time to start the back-to-school hustle!? I don’t know about you, but despite these beguiling days of summer, a queasy apprehension about this year’s return to school lurks beneath the surface for me. And, weirdly, it has nothing to do with the pandemic.

Interestingly, a recent New York Times poll revealed that fewer than 1 percent of the Americans surveyed identified the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as the country’s most important problem — this in the midst of a conspicuous new surge of cases due to the BA.5 variant. I have two reactions to this surprising (and not!) datapoint.

The first hmm: Our collective “meh” response to this latest wave of the pandemic may reflect a perhaps naive, but dare I say healthy, generalized adaptation of Americans to This Pandemic Life — what my colleague Jess calls our growing “COVID-ability.” Despite the particularly contagious characteristic of BA.5, it’s possible that the small flicker of concern about it (as recorded in the survey) reveals this herd adaptability — which is neither delusional or cavalier, nor the byproduct of mass denial — at work.

We’re smarter and we’re not so easy to scare as we were. Hence, this 1 percent score on the fear-o-meter, which plunges COVID-19, rightly or wrongly, into bottom contention with some of our nation’s lesser, yet perennially persistent, concerns: clowns and embarrassing Zoom gaffes.

The second hmm: We live in a culture of fear, so it’s more impossible than ever to crown a winner in any contest for “America’s most important problem.” So many aspects of our lives seem under threat, back up for Thunderdome-style debate, steeped in struggle, devastated by tragedy.

All of this begs the question: How can a parent blithely shop for graph paper with visions of Uvalde death-dancing in their head, or summon sentimental associations with “going back to school” when our schools are no longer reliably safe havens for our kids?

Well, of course we must purchase the graph paper. But the far more important mission in front of us this time every year is to galvanize our own calm and purposeful back-to-school mindset so that we can model the kind of optimism and coping skills our kids will need to confidently move forward themselves. To that end, our August issue is stacked with encouraging pointers for rocking the transition (p. 30), brushing up on our social-emotional calisthenics (p. 34), helping our children — and ourselves! — manage anxiety (p. 37), setting a “get active” agenda that will recharge our kids’ mental health (p. 14) and more.

As for the fun-o-meter, we’ve got you more than covered this August with our indispensable Play List (p. 22) and an ultimate bucket list of 25 free and totally fabulous PNW adventures (p. 25).

What are you waiting for? Get out there!

AUGUST 2022, VOL. 19, NO. 8 PUBLISHER Alayne Sulkin

EDITORIAL

MANAGING EDITOR Patty Lindley OUT + ABOUT EDITOR Nancy Chaney DIGITAL CONTENT EDITOR Vicky McDonald DIGITAL CONTENT PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Kari Hanson OUT + ABOUT EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Julie Dodobara COPY EDITOR Sunny Parsons CONTRIBUTORS Gemma Alexander, Nancy Chaney, Annie Garrett, M.Ed., Tiffany Doerr Guerzon, Kari Hanson, Laura Kastner, Ph.D., Sanya Pelini, Ph.D., Kellie Schmitt

DIGITAL MARKETING

DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER Gina Ryan

EMAIL MARKETING SPECIALIST Devon Hammer DIGITAL MARKETING COORDINATOR Taryn Weiner SOCIAL MEDIA SPECIALIST Emily Feely

ADVERTISING SALES + PARTNERSHIPS

SENIOR ADVERTISING AND PARTNERSHIPS MANAGER Ida Wicklund ADVERTISING CLIENT SERVICES MANAGER Jessica Collet ADVERTISING CLIENT SERVICES ASSISTANT Angela Goodwin CLIENT SERVICES PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Mallory Dehbod

EVENTS

EVENT OPERATIONS Brenna McCown

ART + PRODUCTION

SENIOR DESIGNER Amy Chinn

ADMINISTRATION

BUSINESS MANAGER Carolyn Brendel

My personal parenting theme song is ...

“In My Life” by The Beatles

“My Silver Lining” by First Aid Kit

“Ice Pack” by Recess Monkey (a reminder not to be too overprotective)

“Break My Stride” by Matthew Wilder

“My Way” by Frank Sinatra

PARENTMAP EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

Benjamin Danielson, M.D. CLINICAL PROFESSOR, UW SCHOOL OF MEDICINE PRACTICING PHYSICIAN, UW MEDICINE Joan Duffell RETIRED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, COMMITTEE FOR CHILDREN John Gottman, Ph.D. THE GOTTMAN INSTITUTE PROFESSOR EMERITUS, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON Laura Kastner, Ph.D. PSYCHIATRY + BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON Bea Kelleigh VICE PRESIDENT, DOVETAILING, LLC Yaffa Maritz, M.A. FOUNDER, LISTENING MOTHERS + COMMUNITY OF MINDFUL PARENTING Ron Rabin EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, KIRLIN CHARITABLE FOUNDATION Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MINDSIGHT INSTITUTE CONTACT INFORMATION

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