It’s that time of the year again! Across the country, millions of kids are returning to school for the year. Millions of parents are rejoicing in being relieved of coordinating summer activities and monitoring how much Netflix their kids are watching Yes, back-to-school time is alive and well! Whether your kids have already begun school, or you’re gearing up to get started, many parents know the joy (and misery) of balancing work with preparing their kids for school. In agency life, things tend to heat up even more as clients return from vacation and start checking off boxes on their own to-do list before the end of the year. With busy times ahead both at home and in the office (in our case, our own remote offices), some of our DRIVEN360 parents decided to share tips on how they balance an increasing workload with more duties at home. Here’s what they had to say:
Cheyenne Mejia, Sr. Marketing and Communications Manager at DRIVEN360, mother of a first-grader:
Being a full-time working mother is amazing, but I’d be lying if I said it was easy. With work ramping up for clients and the school year in full swing, it’s important for me to be efficient with my time so I can ensure my clients are happy and my daughter is well-loved and cared for. One thing that has helped us survive the school years is prepping as much as possible before Monday morning hits. By picking outfits for the week and prepping lunches ahead of time, we spend less time fussing over simple decisions and focus on enjoying the mornings together – or catching a few extra minutes of sleep!
Having a general plan going into each week allows me to be both a productive employee and an engaged mother, which makes everyone happy all around!
Michael Caudill, President of DRIVEN360 and Fox News Correspondent, father of two children:
Back to school brings both joy and stress to parents. The joy of sending our kids back to school means a little more downtime for the parents and the ability to focus back on “me” as summer is full of family fun. “However, balancing the stress of back to school can be a challenging few weeks.”My job, back-to-school paperwork, haircuts, clothing, supplies, plenty of Target trips, new schedules, new schools – this all adds to the fun and stress of back to school season.
At DRIVEN360, families come first. We all have one shot to help our kids become young, strong adults, so it’s important each person at DRIVEN360 can ensure their kids start off on the right foot for the school year. Work doesn’t take a back seat because the client’s have needs, so relying on a solid team helps spread the workload. The best part of balancing families with working remotely is it allows our employees to be in control of their schedules.
Being a dad myself, I remember the excitement of enrolling my kids into school for the first time. You get to school on the first day and when you say goodbye to them, you walk to your car and ball your eyes out… “My little one is in school.” It goes that way for a good 10 minutes or so, then you get over it.
Robert Knoll, COO at DRIVEN360, father of two teenagers
The best part about sending my kids back to school is helping them get re-engaged with academics instead of TV, video games, and other mindless activities that seem to dull their thinking and creativity. I remember enrolling my kids into school for the first time. There was a lot of confusion, anxiety, and relief that your little one is now starting school which should save you money on childcare.
It’s well known that families do most of their traveling during the summer, since kids are out of school, and most agencies see an uptick of requests from clients following Labor Day. Additionally, many industries have a busy fall trade-show schedule which requires heavy agency support and planning – another cause for an increase in workload. Balancing an increasing workload while getting my kids ready to go back to school is difficult, but at home, we do things like prep meals ahead of time, stage backpacks and other items by the door, and make sure we check homework the day before to make sure there are no surprises in the morning. Staying organized with work and home is crucial to getting through the changes without a lot of stress. It’s hard, but solid communication with your partner and kids is key to making sure everyone gets the right things done. If done well, there may even be time for the entire family to relax each day!
All in all, our rock star DRIVEN360 parents believe in making sure their kids are ready to be rock stars of their own in their studies. Balancing work and home life can get difficult during this time of the year, but it’s more than doable! As in most things in life, preparation and communication are key. Hope these tips helped! What else would you add to help create an easy back-to-school transition?
