Back to School Isn’t Just a Transition for Our Kids
My daughter just started kindergarten.
Like so many moms right now, I’ve been thinking about new schedules, new routines, earlier mornings, school drop offs, lunches, forms and all the little things that come with starting a new
school year.
But as I watched her walk into this completely new chapter of her life, I realized something:
She’s not the only one starting a new chapter.
I am too.
When Our Kids Change, Our Lives Change Too
There’s so much focus on preparing our kids for transitions.
We talk to them about what school will be like. We buy the supplies. We help them adjust to new routines. We make sure they know where they’re going and what they need.
Meanwhile, our own lives are shifting right alongside theirs.
Maybe your child is starting kindergarten like mine. Maybe they’re entering middle school or high school. Maybe they’re becoming more independent and simply don’t need you in quite the same way they once did.
Or maybe back to school means your life suddenly feels even busier than it did before.
Whatever the transition looks like, a change in routine can sometimes make us look at our own lives differently.
And I think there’s an opportunity in that.
Before You Fill Every Inch of the New Schedule...
As moms, we’re really good at figuring out what needs to happen next.
What time does everyone need to wake up?
Who needs to be where?
What needs to go on the calendar?
What needs to get done for work?
What are we having for dinner?
It can be so easy to move from one season directly into the next without ever stopping to ask what we actually want.
And sometimes, when a little space does open up, our instinct is to immediately fill it.
Another responsibility. Another project. Another thing we’ve been meaning to get done.
But what if we didn’t?
What if this new season could be an opportunity to check in with ourselves, too?
What Do You Want This Season to Feel Like?
Not just: How am I going to get everything done?
But: How do I want my life to feel?
Maybe you want more space to breathe.
Maybe you want to reconnect with friends or build new friendships.
Maybe you want to move your body, create something, travel, date, start a business, change careers or finally explore something you’ve been curious about.
Maybe you want to be more present for the little moments instead of always thinking about the next thing that needs to happen.
Or maybe you don’t know what you want yet.
That’s okay too.
Sometimes we’ve spent so long responding to what everyone else needs that it takes time to hear our own desires again.
You’re Allowed to Grow Alongside Your Kids
One of the things motherhood continues to teach me is that our kids aren’t the only ones growing.
We are too.
And I don’t think becoming more of ourselves takes anything away from our children.
I think there’s something powerful about letting them watch us continue to discover who we are.
To have interests.
To make changes.
To rest.
To create.
To pursue dreams.
To build relationships and communities that feel good.
To change our minds.
To choose lives that actually feel like ours.
So while our kids are walking into classrooms and meeting new teachers and discovering new pieces of themselves this fall, maybe we can give ourselves permission to enter a new chapter too.
You don’t have to know exactly what that chapter looks like yet.
You can start with one question:
What do I want this next season of my life to look and feel like?
And then give yourself enough space to actually listen for the answer.
Ready to reconnect with yourself?
This is a lot of what we explore in my somatic coaching work. Not another list of things you should be doing, but space to slow down, reconnect with yourself and begin creating a life that feels more like yours.
If you’re in a season of change, questioning what comes next, or simply know that something in your life needs to shift, I’d love to talk.
Schedule a free consultation to learn more about working together
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