Back to School Part 2 Going back to go forwards

In this film, on my #happyinschool YouTube channel, I talk about how we can start to discuss some of the tricky issues with our children, giving them time to make sense of them, before they go into a new setting (school) in the next few weeks. Some children are going up into secondary school or even changing school, so this is a big year in terms of transition and change. Even if your kids are already back at school, you can still open a conversation with them about the lockdown and Covid experience to gauge their feelings. This is particularly important if your child is potentially anxious about the return to school.

For lots of us, including children, we can only make sense of things after they have happened. When we’ve experienced a big thing, that changes everything we do, we can be so busy getting on with things that we don’t have a chance to even think about our feelings. But we need to take some time out to pause and reflect and we should encourage our children to do the same. For some, not all, children, if an experience is very painful or uncomfortable, they can lock it away until it becomes a buried negative memory or trauma. The problem with this is that in years to come, the feeling can emerge again in unexpected, negative or even harmful ways.

Watch the film by yourself or with a friend, partner, make some notes. Think about how you will start the conversation and how you will listen. Think about the amount of change your child has experienced and be as reassuring and comforting as you can. And as honest as you can. Good luck, and do get in touch if you have any feedback. I will be posting Part 3 soon.

Take care, stay healthy and stay happy. x

Back to School Part 2 Going back to go forwards

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