After School Window

I have so many memories of a new school year beginning for my children. The highs and lows, the surprises and sadnesses, the schedules and new beginnings. AND, there were so many things to remember…

One of the most important times of the day was “pickup”. I remember waiting in the car line - excited to see my little cherubs. I never knew what to expect as they climbed into my car. I always enjoyed the smile and nod from the staff at my children’s school, “have a nice evening”, “see you tomorrow”. An important send off towards our afternoon/evening.

On the drive home, I always tried to remember to ask more than, “How was your day?” That is an easy answer for them. “Good.” “Fine.” “Horrible.” etc. So, I usually asked things like, “What did you do in PE?” “Who did you sit with at lunch?” Just a few check-in types of questions.

School, new routines, new people, new curriculum, any new change can be very stressful for our children - it can be hard for adults too!

They can show up in our homes after school with excitement, anxiety, over-stimulation, hunger, disappointment, silliness, and overwhelmed. It is important to take all of that into consideration when planning the time we spend with them for the rest of the evening.

I recently read about a “Decompression Window”. I never used that term but certainly tried to provide a healthy snack and time to chill before any chores, homework etc.

The Spectrum Space states that, “Kids need zero (0) demands for 30 minutes straight after school.”

Quiet time or time doing what we want is good and even necessary for our brain development. Our brains need time to rest and file the information we have gathered throughout the day. Quiet time can be responsible for lowering our stress hormones and even growing new cells in our memory centers.

Here is a link to Quail Lakes Community Counseling where they share connection ideas once there has been time given to ”Decompression”.

https://www.quaillakescc.com/blog/beyond-how-was-school-building-after-school-routines-that-connect

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