As it does seemingly every year, summer has come and gone in a flash.
And while there are still a few days left, it's a good time to start thinking about prepping your kids for the routine of the school year.
When it comes to that routine, getting it started right now does wonders for having your kids ready for the first day of school.
"Parents can definitely implement times to eat being the same each day, bedtime being the same, and starting that bedtime adjustment too, for those that are going to bed at an earlier time that they're not used to. Starting that now so that routine is in place by the time school starts." said Luke Severt, a licensed professional counselor with Behavioral Health Clinic in Wausau.
Mask debate has consumed many communities this summer, so many parents might think it's a topic that's top of mind for their kids.
But Severt said it's important to ask what your kid is thinking about or concerned about, because it might not be masks.
"In reality, that might not be the child's biggest fear, maybe the bus ride on the way there, or maybe there's none, and the parent's really worried. So just the open dialogue, and having communication and validating what is scary to them," he said.
And keeping that open dialogue shouldn't end when you send your kid off to school. Instead, it should be part of your daily routine.
"If it's once in a great while where you ask your child questions that are more 'how are things going' or checking on their emotional state, that's going to be more shocking and like, 'why are mom and dad asking me these questions?' But if it's a normal state of the family, they're much more likely to open up," Severt said.
