I'm Dr. Paulo Pires, psychologist and clinical director of the Child and Youth Mental Health
Program at McMaster Children's Hospital. I work primarily out of the Ron Joyce Children's Health
Centre. September is coming and every year, the transition to school is something that breeds
excitement and a bit of anxiety. This is probably a very unique September because we're still
in a pandemic, we're still not quite sure how things are going to go,
even though they're looking better and we know schools are opening up,
so there's a uncertainty that we've all coped with, an uncertainty that is still ahead.
So kids may be excited about returning - for example - to in-person learning. Other families
may decide that what's best for them is sticking to virtual learning. So this is a September that
won't look the same as others have in the past. We know that the pandemic has had slightly different
effects on families, depending on your age and stage you've had to deal with certain things.
We know that kids are going to worry a little bit about learning gaps because school hasn't
been ideal. Kids going into junior kindergarten, starting elementary school for the first time,
kids starting high school for the first time, teenagers who are going into grade 12 and are
looking to go into post-secondary education - all these times of transition are going to add
to what the young person is experiencing, going in to school this September. So what can we do as we
approach September, knowing that there's still some uncertainty in the air, knowing that we're
not exactly sure how things are going to go, some kids are going to feel more prepared than others,
some families are going to feel more prepared than others to face September. The reality is,
we can do some level of preparation. There are some things that we can practice.
For some kids, it's going to be practicing being around other people. So although there
continues to be pandemic, social distancing rules and masking rules,
"how is it that I can be around other young people in a way that that is comfortable?". So what are
some things that we can practice? What are some new routines that I can anticipate going into?
And this is a time where parents are going to be thinking about the same
things, and are going to be really important in coaching their young people to think about
how to prepare and what to practice coming into this new school year. Caregivers and parents have
a very important role in trying to explore with a young person - what are their fears?
What are the things they're looking forward to? What are the things they anticipate as challenges?
To really listen to them and, validate, just accept where that young person is at in terms of
how they're feeling about the new school year. Then as the weeks unfold, as school starts, for
parents and caregivers to check in. How are things going? Tell me some things that aren't going well.
Tell me some things that are going okay. Because as we approach these kind of "new normals",
we know that school is not going to be a typical school year again, we want to be able to give kids
of all ages confidence that although we're not sure that things are going to be absolutely fine,
these are the things that we have in our control, these are the things that we can
practice to ensure things are going to go a little bit better. And when things aren't going so well,
if they don't go well, rest assured that this is why mom and dad are around,
this is why in combination and consultation with schools and teachers we're going to problem solve
because there is still some unpredictability in the air - and that's very very normal.