Enriched Family Back-to-School and Work Special Feature

Back-to-school is upon us. Many of you parents may also be returning to the office for the first time since the pandemic. Given all of these new beginnings in the very specific time period of an ongoing pandemic, I wanted to create a special "Back-to-School & Office" blog post as I understand this transition may be a bit bumpy for us all. A key way that our family eases transition anxiety is through preparation and organization. I hope the Enriched Family Back-to-School and Back-to-Office Checklists are helpful to your family. Not all the steps will apply, particularly if your kiddos are starting out remote, but hopefully the checklists are good templates that you can adjust to your family’s needs. I have also highlighted a few Enriched Family blog posts from years past that will be helpful during this time of transition. Pick and choose what is relevant to you today …. Finally, check out the Enriched Family Quick Picks and the special discount on services we are running in August and September.

Enriched Family Roundup: Alternative Schooling Options for the Fall

Austin parents, we have had a hard past few months and it doesn’t look like things are going to get much easier. After 4+ months of quarantine (to greater or lesser degrees), COVID rates in Texas are skyrocketing, and city, county, and state officials are considering a return to lockdown to prevent the ongoing spread. Having juggled online schooling, work, and childcare during the spring semester, it seems we will be back at it come fall. On July 14th, the City of Austin and Travis County enacted a joint order banning in-person classes for all schools through September 7th. What this means is that all students in the affected districts will shift to remote learning again, for at least the first three weeks of school, including students in the Austin Independent School District (AISD), Del Valle ISD, Eanes ISD, Lago Vista ISD, Lake Travis ISD, Manor ISD, Pflugerville ISD, and all other public school districts in the city limits and county of Travis. It is unclear what will happen beyond September 7th. If COVID has taught us anything, it is to not try to look too hard into the future as things are always changing. While I don’t want to be “gloom and doom”, it is important to acknowledge that this situation poses immense hardships for all parents, but particularly for working parents.

This post, therefore, is focused on rounding up a variety of alternative schooling options for the fall that parents can consider, whether temporarily (until in-person schooling starts again) or for the full fall semester and potentially longer. Options include a discussion of and resources on homeschooling; pod-type learning environments; nannies/tutors; small, private preschools or kindergarten programs; and YMCA child care for essential workers (a good option for the fall if your children are not yet of school age or if you need some summer childcare).

Parenting with Anxiety

I have managed anxiety (and periodic depression), to greater or lesser degrees, for most of my life. Nevertheless, I did not recognize my anxiety as a mental health issue for many years. For much of my life, I felt a sense of shame about my anxiety. I told myself if I was … fill in the blank … stronger, smarter, more resilient … I could “handle” my anxiety. It took age and experience to come to terms with knowing that I am incredibly strong, smart, and resilient, but sometimes anxiety still handles me. It wasn’t until I had my own children and they began to have some signs of anxiety that I recognized how intense my anxiety was from an early age.

While my anxiety is a challenge, it also comes with unique gifts. I am very sensitive and empathetic to other people’s emotions. I am a list-maker and planner extraordinaire. My hyper vigilance makes me a very safe and reliable person, as well as extremely detail-oriented and organized. I am an incredibly hard worker, highly focused, and push myself to excel. I also have a strong sense of responsibility. While these traits have many positives, they are also fairly exhausting at times.

Who knew that another gift of lifelong anxiety would be that it prepared me – at least to a certain extent – to deal with a pandemic? For me, the sky was always falling. Only now, everyone else sees it too. Oddly, there is a sense of comfort in knowing I am not alone in dealing with anxiety these days. So, if you have been dealing with anxiety all your life or are new to experiencing anxiety largely as a result of the COVID-19 situation and/or the current racial, economic, and social tumult in the United States, you are not alone. Maybe you don’t have anxiety, but someone you love does or you are parenting a child or adolescent with anxiety. This post is for you. While in no way meant to provide medical advice, this post provides salient information and resources related to anxiety from well-respected, credible sources. Given the ongoing issues of racial injustice and police brutality in our country, and in honor of July being Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, I have also included a number of resources specifically for Black communities and People of Color.

Boredom Busters: Summer Engagement Ideas for Kids - Part II

Last summer I did a blog post on Boredom Busters to give parents some additional summer engagement ideas for their kids. As it was well received, I thought I would do a Part II this summer. Entering the tail end of July, I have definitely started to hear more of a chorus of: “Mom, I’m bored.” And when my kids are bored, they tend to get cranky and more prone to poor choices and behaviors. To help support them and my mental sanity, I made a new list of Boredom Busters. Below is the list of ideas I created for my family; I hope it is helpful to yours as well. As always, take what seems like it will work for your unique family, modify as needed, and forget the rest. While most of these ideas require some degree of parental involvement, many of the steps can be done independently once you set your kids up for the activity.

Enriched Family will be tabling at the PIPnic this Saturday, 6/1/19. Join us!

Enriched Family will be tabling at the PIPnic this Saturday, 6/1/19, from 9am-noon at Ramsey Park (4301 Rosedale Avenue, Austin, TX 78756). Join us!

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