Preparing for the Return to School

With the start of every academic year, households enter a race of preparation: backpacks, stationery, schedules, and timetables. We become so preoccupied with material readiness that we forget the most crucial preparation our children need cannot be bought at a bookstore. True readiness begins when a child or adolescent feels capable—capable of learning, making mistakes, trying again, and navigating their day without their self-confidence shaking at the first stumble. …