With a new school year beginning, here are 5 things that you should tell your kids before school starts:

Don’t Give Into Peer Pressure
Cliques are a part of every school, something that many have experienced and something that your child will most likely have to deal with. Remind your child to always stay true to themselves and what interests them, assure them that they don’t have to change or adjust who they are just to fit in with others. Teach them that it is okay to be different and like things others don’t.

“By being yourself you put something wonderful in the world that was not there before.” – Edwin Elliott

Be Respectful
It is important to teach and remind your child that since everyone is different, they should never judge someone based off their looks, religion, or truly anything other than that person’s character. Respect is a necessary trait at all stages of life, and it’s best instilled at a young age.

“Every human being, of whatever origin, of whatever station, deserves respect. We must each respect others even as we respect ourselves.” – U. Thant

Always Talk To An Adult
Before sending your kids off to school, it is important that you establish a bond of trust. Establishing that line of communication and trust will ensure that if your child is getting bullied or is having a hard time with anything, it will be easier for them to talk to you about it first. This also helps your child get comfortable with the idea of talking to adults, so if something does happen in school and you aren’t there, they can go to the closest adult or to one they trust and talk to them.

“Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing.” -Rollo May

Be Grateful
Children don’t realize the “small” things in life. In fact, many people don’t until they no longer have that something in their lives. Teaching your kids to be grateful for everything they have is important, especially since school will be comprised of students with all different types and levels of privilege.

“Showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful things humans can do for each other.” – Randy Pausch

Stay True To Yourself
Although this could be grouped with “don’t give into peer pressure”, staying true to yourself is a lot deeper than that. Self-love is something many adults, teenagers and even kids struggle with, and yet it is often not addressed seriously. Remind your child that it is okay if sometimes they don’t feel pretty or don’t understand something in school. Remind them that they don’t have to know things right away. Allowing your child to see that you too have dealt with what they are currently going through might give them hope and allow them to see that there is a lot more life ahead of them.

“One of the lessons that I grew up with was to always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody else says distract you from your goals. And so when I hear about negative and false attacks, I really don’t invest any energy in them, because I know who I am.” -Michelle Obama

By: Kerasa Tsokas