A Post For Parents…

Hello Parents,

I hope you are doing well, finding time to breathe, and taking a few moments each day to enjoy the remaining days of summer vacation with your children. It’s hard to believe that the official beginning of the 2026-2027 School Year begins in just over a week from today. It doesn’t seem possible. But, yet, here you are: checking the school supply list twice, making sure backpacks are ready to go, finishing up registration, prepping lunches, getting haircuts, going to the dentist and eye doctor, and making sure to complete those unfavorable but needed physical exams. I’m sure this list doesn’t even scratch the service.

As the School Year approaches, I wanted to share a post for you (and your children) regarding some tips to consider as life changes, routines change, and finding time for conversation seems far-and-in-between as homework assignments, after school rehearsals and practices, and hanging out with friends takes up a majority of the evening for your children. What I have to share with you is not original, but something borrowed.

I hope you find this advice helpful and useful as you raise your child/children with compassionate and kind hearts!

1. Ask This Every Night: “What made you smile today… and what hurt your heart?” Don’t just ask about homework. Ask about their heart. Children who grow up talking about their feelings become adults who know how to manage them instead of hiding them.

2. End Every Day With Gratitude: Before bedtime, say this, “Tell me three good things that happened today.” Gratitude doesn’t erase hard days… But it teaches children that even difficult days can hold something beautiful. That’s how resilience begins.

3. Help Them Build A Kind Inner Voice. Teach them to say: “I am brave;” “I can learn;” “I am enough;” “I can do this.” One day… the loudest voice in your child’s life won’t be yours. It will be the voice inside their own head. Help make it a kind one.

4. Let Them Play Outside More Than They Scroll. Fresh air. Sunlight. Movement. Nature. These aren’t just fun…they’re powerful medicine for a growing mind. Some of childhood’s greatest lessons happen far away from a screen.

5. Create A Calm Space… Not Just Consequences: When emotions explode…don’t only ask, “What rule did you break?” Ask, in addition to, “What happened inside you?” Teach your child how to calm down… Not how to hide their feelings.

6. Give Them 15 Minutes They Never Have To Compete For: No phone, No TV, No emails, No distractions. Just you. Fifteen minutes of your full attention means more to your child than hours of being in the same room while everyone stares at a screen. Presence is the greatest gift most children are missing.

7. When They Cry… Don’t Rush To Stop The Tears: Instead of saying, “Stop crying,” try saying, “I’m here. I understand this feels really hard.” Children don’t become emotionally strong because they never cry. They become emotionally strong because someone stayed beside them while they did.

A REMINDER EVERY PARENT NEEDS TODAY: Strong children aren’t raised by perfect parents. They’re raised by parents who make them feel emotionally safe. Children who feel safe…take healthy risks, recover from failure, believe in themselves, build healthy relationships. And one day, they will become the safe place for someone else. The greatest gift you can give your child isn’t a perfect life. It’s the confidence that no matter what happens, they’ll never have to face it alone.

As the School Year begins, why not begin by taking time to listen to your children. I hope this list offered you something to think about, and realized that sometimes the best thing a child can ever receive is the knowledge that they are never alone because you are there with them.

Have a Blessed 2026-2027 School Year!

Your Presence, Holy Spirit!