Back-to-School Survival: Embrace imperfection and stay organised

For Angela Hundal, the back-to-school reset is less about glossy planners and perfect mornings, and more about acceptance. “Parents should go easier on themselves,” says the South African senior editor and content consultant. “Don’t be so hard about being perfect or getting everything exactly right for your kids. If you forget something, if you’re late, or if things don’t go 100 per cent according to plan, it’s fine. It’s not a train smash.”

Angela and her husband, Aman are raising two children in Dubai: Hunter, 10, a student at Fairgreen International School, and Freya, 1. For them, summer means looser bedtimes and slow mornings. The problem comes when the alarm clock makes its inevitable comeback. “The hardest part is definitely sleep,” Angela explains. “For two or three months we’ve been in relaxed mode, staying up later, waking up later. Then suddenly, everyone has to be up at six again. That’s the biggest adjustment.”

Angela doesn’t pretend the reset is easy. “Along with sleep, it’s the small daily details, packing the right uniform, the right stationery, making sure snacks and lunches are sorted, water bottles filled, homework checked. Those little things make a big difference in setting the kids up for a good school day.”

Her approach is equal parts preparation and pragmatism. “Organisation plays a big role,” she says. Hunter is involved in back-to-school checks, trying on uniforms before term starts, sorting through his pencil case, and making sure lunchboxes and bottles are in good condition. “He throws out anything broken or empty, which helps me know what we actually need.”

She avoids last-minute shopping panics. “I don’t like leaving it to the day before, because shops do run out of stock,” she explains. Instead, she buys uniforms, shoes, and stationery the week before term. “That way, if something’s unavailable, I still have time to order or find an alternative.”

Her own toolkit is practical: lists, shared calendars, and blocked time. “I put all the school activities and pick-up times in my calendar with reminders, so nothing clashes with work. I block those times so others know I’m not available, and I set alerts so I know when to leave. That’s been a lifesaver.”

She also shares lists with her nanny, Marissa, who helps keep track of schedules. “We sometimes plan meals and snacks ahead for the week, so Marissa knows what to prep. It doesn’t always work out perfectly, but when it does, it makes life easier.”

Another ritual that helps is sitting down with a coffee and her inbox. “I try to set aside half an hour once a week just to go through everything — school emails, WhatsApp groups, teacher notes — and cross-check against my lists, so nothing gets missed.”

Bedtime routines anchor the household too. “Usually, the kids play in the afternoon, shower early evening, have dinner, then we read before bed. Lights out is ideally around 8, though realistically it can slip to 9,” Angela says. “Wake-up is about 6am, since I do the school drop-offs myself.”

For Angela, preparing mentally and emotionally is about softening the landing rather than over-engineering it. “One thing I try is getting my son to sleep a little earlier the week before school starts,” she says. That way, the first early night doesn’t feel like a shock. Beyond that, she focuses on acceptance. “School is starting, so the way we eat, sleep, and plan our days changes, and we all adapt.”

And if something gets missed? She shrugs. “We live in a city where almost everything is available most of the day, and it’s usually easy to sort things out later. In Dubai we’re lucky to have so much support. So take it easy. Don’t stress. The first few weeks of school are always the hardest while everyone adjusts, but then it settles down.”

Her advice to other parents is deceptively simple: stay organised, involve the kids, and don’t aim for perfect. “Just do your best, and that’s enough.”