The Short List: 11 Real Life Parent Tips for Back-to-School Savvy
These tips come from that place where lessons are learned in the parenting trench: raising three kids, making mistakes, and taking a bit of time to reflect on how I can improve things (and by “things,” I mean myself). This advice comes from the realization I need to let go about of little things that don’t deserve stress — and get a firm grip on the little things that consistently make life a bit smoother each day.

Back to School Tips for Parents
#1 Get Clipped. Buy a clipboard for every student in the home. Hang on a nail or stash in a wall pocket: clipboards serve as a desk for any homework space and a display holder for papers that need to be seen, worked on, and signed.
#2 Use leverage. To move that morning routine along, require everyone to have backpacks packed, and dressed all the way to the shoes BEFORE breakfast. And in the evening, make it a procedure for those bags to be cleaned out before the after-school snack.
#3 In Case of Volunteering, Report Directly to Teachers. If (and only if) you’re able to offer your time to the school in some way throughout the year, offer it directly to the teacher before choosing opportunities sent out for everyone. Letting your child’s teacher know that you are available to help her and her classroom is a way of supporting the adult who will spend the most time this year (outside of the home) influencing your offspring. If you can’t volunteer, read on for a bit of advice on saying “no” (and the other 8 tips)…
