back-to-school a.k.a. back-to-a-schedule!

Kristi Corley
editor in chief

Today I attended my oldest child’s freshman orientation for high school. Honestly, I don’t feel old enough to have a child entering high school. I mean, for heaven’s sake! The smell of the old wooden bleachers was all too familiar as we sat and listened to the guidance counselor go over the policies and procedures. The Pep Club did a cute skit demonstrating the “dos and don’ts for proper apparel.” I could already pick out the cool kids, the smart kids, the jocks and the introverts. I looked through the list of clubs, wondering what I would choose if it were me returning to high school.

Then reality sank in. I’m not in high school any more. I felt my phone vibrate alerting me of an appointment for later in the afternoon. I saw that I had missed a call from a photographer. I realized that the deadline for my “Letter from the Editor” is due today. Oops.

Reality told me that the lazy days of summer are over. Now don’t get me wrong. It’s not to say that I stopped working over the summer; my kids would be the first to tell you that they would have liked to see the laptop disappear and the phone turned off. What I mean is, gone are the days of a loose morning schedule. Gone are the days of late-night family movies. It’s time to pull out the family calendar and organize Open House schedules, football practices, and due dates for Science projects. It’s time to enforce early bed time and set the alarm clocks for early, ungodly hours.

As I sat on the hard bleachers and thought about my three children entering a new grade level and new schools, I’ll admit a small fear crept in. Would they fit in? Would they do well? Would they have hard days? Would they fail? Then I was reminded of an article – within this issue! ALL of the articles within this Back to School issue are amazing, but the one that encouraged me today is “The Ultimate Girls Back to School Guide”. (you can view it online here!) You must read it. Now. Well, in just a sec! It gives great tips to help build confidence in our children.

I truly hope there are articles in our Back to School issue that speak to you, too. I’d love your feedback. Email, tweet, or leave me a message! It’s nice to hear from you to know that we are all in this journey of parenthood together!

Kristi Corley
editor in chief
kristi@theMOMSmagazine.com