After stepping away from regular GCP blogging for a while to begin work on a parenting book, I am returning to posting regularly–GCP is back! While the posts will still primarily focus on raising boys, many posts already on the site can be helpful for parenting girls as well. A lovely young friend with twins (a boy and a girl) recently told me how she had taken my advice to become involved in their school and is a class mom for this year. Thrilled to hear. So all you girl moms out there, please join us and let me know when GCP advice works for you!
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So, it’s September, and school is back in session! I’m sure you have focused on getting your son ready to go back to school. Make sure you also take the time to focus on your back to school checklist:
• If your son is in a single classroom all day, have you met his teacher(s)? If he is a middle or high schooler, do you know what he is taking this year and how he feels about his classes so far?
• Have you volunteered for a classroom and/or school activity? If your working hours prohibit this, have you found the parent/buddy who will keep you in the loop about what is going on at school?
• Have you put the Parent’s Association meetings in your calendar and do you plan to attend one of the earlier ones in the school year?
• Have you focused on his afterschool activities? Making sure he is not overscheduled and that he is doing things he enjoys?
• If necessary, have you focused on the technology he will need for the school year? If he uses a laptop, is it in good working order and does he have the means to BACK IT UP ( an external hard drive is best)? This is really important; neither he nor you will want to deal with his losing work following a computer crash.
• Have you made sure your son has a good space in your home in which to study? Free of obvious distractions (no TV nearby), a comfortable chair and a good reading light?
• If he has regular homework assignments, does he have a calendar/assignment book? If the school doesn’t provide one, get one for him and help him figure out how to use it to keep track of his short and long term homework assignment and projects. Some students prefer to keep their calendars on their phones. This works best, of course, if they are not easily distracted by the 7 zillion other things going on with their phones.
Take care of your checklist, and your son will be off to a great start for the school year!
Carol Sutton Lewis
Ground Control Parenting
*** P.S. I really want to build the GCP network this year, and I’d love to hear about what is working for you and your sons. Good parenting ideas need to be shared–we all need all the help we can get! Please follow me on Twitter @GndCtrlParentg, visit and like us on Facebook at Ground Control Parenting, tell your friends to read GCP, and send me your comments. Thanks.