Normally, we encourage families to make plans for the weekend and get out of the house to have some fun, but not this weekend. Everyone is full of back-to-school exhaustion and this weekend is a time to stay home and prioritize rest. Your kiddos are exhausted. You’re exhausted. All the “new” in the schedule can take a toll and the solution for this weekend is doing as much nothing as possible.
It was probably a couple years ago when I learned the term “after-school restraint collapse.” This means that after a whole day of trying to follow the rules, interacting with new-to-them grownups and kids, limited free movement, lack of quiet and social fears, your kids might come home an exhausted, emotional mess that crumbles at the mere suggestion that do anything or go anywhere. They have worked so hard to hold it together all day, that the collapse is big after school.
And now that your kiddos have made it through the first several days of school, they are a mess. They’re systems are overstimulated. Your Friday night plans = no plans.
Please follow these simple steps to help soothe your kiddos back into their normal, regulated selves.
- Stay home.
- Eat something easy for dinner (pizza or cereal are favorites in my house).
- Watch a beloved movie. Something that everyone has already seen, so that it can be turned off once the eyelids become heavy. My family loves Princess Bride and The Star Wars movies.
- Send everyone to bed extra early.
For best results, try to do as little as possible on Saturday too. My oldest calls these “nothing” days and she craves them when life becomes crazy and her schedule has been pulling her in all directions. Hopefully, your family’s back-to-school exhaustion will feel much smaller after a weekend of intentional rest.
Emiley Bainbridge isย MetroFamilyโsย assistant editor. Sheโs married to Russ and the mom of Olivia and Nicholas. An OKC native, she enjoys reading, musical theater and dance parties.ย
