Beating The Back-To-School Blues

Plus, tips for college students who are back on campus

View this email online Photo Illustration by Becky Harlan/NPR Friends, I know I might be in the minority here, but I absolutely loved back-to-school prep back in the day. The joy of picking out a new pencil case! The smell of freshly sharpened pencils! Writing your name (just so!) on your fresh, color-coordinated folders!! The unmatched satisfaction of finding the perfect compartment for each of your school supplies in your multi-pocket backpack!!! ...Have I lost you all completely? Back to school season looks different this year, friends, and not just because the popularity of Lisa Frank products have still yet to return to all their 90’s glory. In addition to their books and their tablets and their sharpeners, the collective student body of ‘21-’22 returns to the classroom with masks (and/or much mask controversy), air purifiers and an uncertain future in the wake of the Delta variant.  That’s a lot to carry — for kids and parents alike.  The load is heavy, and varied all around: teachers are facing stress and burnout and many school-age kids may be dealing with anxiety as they start new schedules in new spaces after a year-and-a-half at home. College students may be wondering if dorm life will ever feel like it did before. Campus administrators are incentivizing vaccinations. And parents — amidst new reports of breakthrough infections at the start of school season — just want to know how to keep their families safe. So, if sending your kids back to school has felt like an unending swirl of chaos and hard choices, you’re not alone. But you’re also not powerless, says economist and parenting expert Emily Oster. You can bring more order and agency to your family, she says, by holding fast to your priorities and your values. Newsletter continues after sponsor message In our recent interview with Oster, she shared wisdom from her new book The Family Firm, a data-driven guide to help parents make better decisions in the early school years. She says that applying small business principles to household logistics and decision-making can lead to more family flourishing.  When making a decision big or small, Oster recommends an approach called the 4F’s: Frame the question. Articulate: What are the choices that you are making? Are you asking the question, should my child get a fancy phone where they can use all the apps?  Or are you asking, should I get my child a basic phone so they can call me after soccer practice or in an emergency? The information you need to make a decision is completely different depending on the question. Fact Find. Businesses use data to back-up their decision-making. Oster says it's a combination of thinking about what data you need to speak to the choices. What evidence is there that you could bring to bear? Final Decision. "We tend to let the decisions fester. So really be concrete. Let's say, in some cases, let's have a meeting and decide," Oster says. Here, you've thought about the issues and thought about how they are specific to your kid. Follow-Up. Decisions aren't forever. There are opportunities to revisit, and that's a part of being deliberate and not reactive, says Oster. Listen to the episode here Tough times often call for tough decisions, so we hope this can be of a little help. For even more back-to-school resources, we’ve got a roundup of episodes for college students who are back on campus and another to help parents support their kids this academic year.  We wish you luck as you get ready for the year ahead, friends. Don’t forget to add a little joy to your prep list.  — Andee Tagle, Life Kit producer Thanks for sticking with us! Watch this space for next week's episodes on:    🦠 Keeping Kids Safe From Delta I 🏠 Smart Renting I 👂 How To Receive Feedback We love hearing from you. And, as always, we *love* hearing your random life tips. So send us a note at lifekit@npr.org or leave us a voicemail with a greeting, your name, phone number and your tip at 202.216.9823. Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: LifeKit@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Daily News, Code Switch, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Life Kit emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy