by Dana Wray

Created on: April 18, 2008

The first day of school, wow, that is a biggie in the life of your child. You have the list, you know they need a sleeping mat and safety scissors. They have new shoes and a fresh haircut to go with their eager outlook and picture perfect face. Lunch boxes, back-packs, crayons and juice boxes...getting ready for the first day is more than just these things. Are they really ready? Did you do all you could to prepare them?

Can they tie their shoes and wipe their nose? That helps. How about open their own milk carton, say their A-B-C's, write their name? Those are a few of the things we think about when we think of readiness. But do we think about manners and respect? We don't always put those on the list of items to check off as we prepare to send our children into the lives of others. We know they are special to us; we want them to be special to everyone. A respectful polite child is always a bright spot in the classroom.

Start early, as you teach your baby to say "Mama", "Dada", and "blanket" add "thank you". I started early with my children...repeat after me..."May I", may I, "Have A", have a, "Cookie Please", cookie please. As with anything you do with your child, the repetition makes it work. You don't tell them to brush their teeth once and hope they remember every night, you tell them every night. Practice - please, thank you, you're welcome and may I, should be in their vocabulary from the beginning.

Take your children out with you, even as toddlers they can learn to sit quietly and wait until it is their turn. We can't send them to kindergarten and expect them to follow the rules if they haven't had practice. Story time at the local library is a great place to learn these skills.

Something as simple as the tolerance of different foods and different preparations of known foods go a long way to easing your child into a classroom filled with new people. Children should not be taught that any food is "gross" or "icky" just because they don't like it. Who knows what they may see in the cafeteria. Trying new foods should be an adventure, not a battle.

Sharing, waiting for our turn, not interrupting, saying "yes sir" keeping our hands to ourselves these are things that were expected of us when we were in school; we should not expect less from our own children. Getting your child ready for the first day of school is the same as getting your child ready for the world. Go beyond what is on the list; give them all the tools they need.

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