Dubai: Call it the ‘holiday hangover’ or ‘back-to-the-grind’ scramble, but as schools reopen after a long summer next week, it’s the parents, not so much the children, who seem to be getting jittery.
From having to wake up early and beat the rush-hour traffic to making sure everything is in order for their children to resume school, there are many apprehensions that they are currently grappling with. Indian mum Hansika Ratan says she dreads the ‘back to school’ days, because it means the start of a long and demanding regime all over again.
“The prospect of the alarm going off at 5am is stressing me out already,” says the mum of two nine-year-old twins whose daily grind when school resumes ends only late evenings. The Dubai resident says everything adds up to a new rigour from getting the children ready on time and driving them to their school to ferrying them to and from their separate extra-curricular classes in the evenings.
Missing the deadline
For Amir Ali, 37, it’s the thought of potentially missing the deadline for paying fees that’s giving him sleepless nights. “I always make the payments by the first day of the new school term but this time I fear I may be late by a day or two as my salary will be credited only by August 28, the cut-off date,” says the father of a Year 2 boy.
The fee is only one additional expense to factor around this time of the year. As Thuwan, a Sri Lankan father, explains, parents like him come under a lot of pressure from kids who want to get themselves a new set of school-related paraphernalia. “It doesn’t help that retailers lure them with ‘back to school’ deals and promotions on books, stationery and everything else,” says the Abu Dhabi-based father of an eight-year-old.
Families with first time school-goers feel more anxious. Anita, 29, an Indian mum of a four-year-old girl, says, “I am not sure if we will be able to do everything alright on the first day. From getting our daughter ready on time for the school bus to making her tiffin to arranging her bags, there’s a whole lot of things to factor. Yet, we can’t be sure that even if we have ticked all those boxes, our little one will be in a good mood. She may get cranky as she’s never been to a regular school before.”
Less time
Some parents are saddened by the prospect of spending less time with their children when the school reopens. Filipina Lowwen Aguilar, whose six-year-old-son is beginning Grade 1 next month, says, “Earlier my son would have very short days in school leaving us with ample time to be together. But not anymore thanks to his extended school hours and the nature of my job,” rues Aguilar who works as a nurse in a clinic.
Experts say such apprehensions are natural. Some reckon the reason why parents, especially young adults with less or no experience in parenting, often become jittery ahead of the school opening week is because they rely on their own school life experiences to guide their kids. “The anxiety often arises from the gap that they see between the two experiences and their divergence from the routine they used to follow when in school,” explains Kritika Mathur Ghosh, a counselling psychologist, who shares tips for parents preparing for the ‘Back to School’ week (see box below).
There are also concerns over children contracting a flu or other health problems during this time of the year. Dr Nazneen Mansuri, a specialist paediatrician at iCARE Clinics, says, “Parents need not panic as there are many ways to prepare kids. The main causes of such ailments are a change in routine and environment. Maintaining balanced diets and getting regular health checks done go long way in keeping ailments at bay. A flu shot is also recommended,” she said.
-With inputs from Mariam Mumtaz, intern
Advice to parents:
-Be role models; if you want your kid to sleep early and get up on time, manage your time and sleep with them. Try to do this for a week before school starts.
-Don’t use fear as a motivation for them as well as for yourself. Thinking what all can go wrong is a typical avoidance-perception. Instead, think positive and show encouragement in your words and actions regarding the daily routine.
-Make sure your children eat healthy
-Get a health check done
-Maintain a check list regarding fee and other essential payments
