What lunchbox should I get?
How many school shirts do I need?
How do we manage full-time work with school hours?
How does vacation care work?
These are the questions Northern Beaches mum, Lucy Cheek, asked herself when her firstborn started school last year.
“When Otis started, I didn’t have other school mums to turn to for advice, so I found it to be quite an isolating experience,” she told Manly Observer.
“I also had lots of different emotions bubbling up, from grief to relief, and I wasn’t sure how I was meant to feel.
“While the school orientations were helpful and my son’s school and teachers were amazing, they can’t answer everything.”
So, the writer, editor and mum of two, wrote Starting School: A Spiral-Free Guide for Parents. It covers everything from first-day tears (yours and theirs), navigating class WhatsApp groups, surviving the mental load of school notifications, and (very importantly) the low-down on the lunch and lunchbox situation.
“It’s choc-a-block with golden advice for the overwhelmed or grossly unprepared parent (like I was) who’s spiralling about what to actually buy, how to handle the mental load, and freaking out about their own Big Feelings in the lead-up,” Lucy explained.
“It has practical and emotional support, and guidance from people a lot smarter than me. I turned to experts such as paediatric dietitian Dr Kyla Ringrose, psychologist Dr Erin Bowe, and Balgowlah-based clinical counsellor and psychotherapist Daniela MacAulay.
“I also asked the true oracles – seasoned school mums – on what they wish they’d known before their child started big school.”
Lucy added that while everyone knows starting big school is a big step for our kids, it isn’t often acknowledged how big a transition it is for parents. She hopes the book will help first-time school parents feel more supported, confident, and less alone.
So, what does Lucy wish she’d known this time last year?
“Everyone feels the same as you, even if they’re not saying it,” she told us.
“Like having a baby or starting a new job, you might feel like you’ve been plonked on another planet for a while, aeons away from your comfort zone, while you learn the ropes of school life.
“And also, schools nurture the kindy kids – you’re both going to be just fine.”
Lucy’s book is available here for $14.95.
“Starting School: A Spiral-Free Guide for Parents” on sale now. Image: Lucy Cheek
