Maybe you noticed the change this week. I did, and it shocked even me — an empty-nester mom meandering through the nifty fifties!
The patriotic flags and tablecloths for Independence Day had been stripped from the grocery store shelf. Replaced with crayons, composition books, and pencils! I panned over the bright yellow bins. School supplies. Fully stocked, glowing like they owned the place.
The scent of molded wax and plastic hit me hard. I could almost hear the satisfying shrrrip of velcro from my rainbow unicorn Trapper Keeper. The thrill of reaching fifth grade and the promise of the giant Crayola box. The one with the sharpener. I had reached the pinnacle of life for sure!
I checked my phone. Yep, it’s still July. Single digits July, I might add.
Where did summer go?
This time of year is genuinely complicated if you’re a kid. New supplies, new clothes, and seeing friends again are always the exciting part. But summer isn’t done saying goodbye yet. There’s still ice cream to eat and road trips that feel unfinished.
And layered on top of that is the quiet stuff kids don’t say out loud:
- Will I know anyone in my classes?
- Who am I going to sit with at lunch?
That’s a lot to carry into a Tuesday.
Adults have a different reaction to the change — more like a small sigh of relief. And that’s completely normal. Nobody’s judging.
But allow me to offer a gentle reminder: the first week back can be rough on a kid, even if they seem fine on the surface. It’s a lot like returning to the office after a much-needed vacation. The Sunday-scaries version stretched across five days.
A little patience and a little extra attention go a long way that first week. Ask about lunch. Ask who they sat with. Let them tell you about the crayon that broke on day one. It matters more than it looks like it does.
Grocery stores have a way of marking time, holiday to holiday, none as off-putting as the start of a busy school season. But you can slow it down, smooth the transition. Memories will be made one way or another. And no memory is as good as the one adult children still cherish: decompression sessions with cookies and SpongeBob.