As we are still adjusting to our school routine, I had a mom mention to me that she doesn’t really know how school is going until mid-October.

At the time she mentioned that I thought it was odd that it would take over a month to make that determination. However, now that my children are in school all day and their responsibilities seem to increase each week, I am beginning to understand that mom’s statement.

Transitioning from second grade to third grade is a jump. From bringing home one accordion file with all the necessary homework and paperwork, we have graduated to a backpack full of books: Bible, history, math, science, Latin, grammar, and reading.

Learning to check for each book, notebook, and assignment before leaving school has been a bit of a struggle this year. Missing one or more items makes getting homework done difficult.

Finding that when I was near the beginning of car line, Mr. 8 seemed to forget more items at school. Having Paul stop by after work to pick up the left items was not a habit we were going to encourage or continue.

Though we are still adjusting to third grade, Mr. 8 has improved, and I have learned these lessons from a backpack:

Adjust my Pickup Schedule

In understanding my son, I realized he needs the time to go subject by subject to make sure he gets all his work placed in his backpack. So, I have adjusted my schedule to come to school right at the end of the school day rather than arriving early at the front of car line.

As the other students are getting picked up, Mr. 8 has a bit more time to go through his desk to make sure he has all the items he needs at home. He can then take his time to pack all the items into his backpack because I am not holding up car line waiting on him.

Ask about Homework

When Mr. 8 gets into the van, I will ask him if he has everything. Sometimes, I pull off to the side to give him time to check. I do this on days that he seems sidetracked or overly excited as he can get distracted and miss items.

If he is missing an item, we are still at school, and he can go get it. By asking, I can help him head off frustrations and problems while working or trying to get homework done later.

In using time wisely, I am learning how to help my son be responsible. It is his responsibility to keep up with his assignments and books. But in teaching him, I am finding him more responsible now that I have adjusted my pickup schedule and ask about homework before leaving the parking lot.

Eventually, I won’t need to make these adjustments. He will learn, but it will take some time. We are all learning. I even need to continue to adjust and change even if those lessons are from a backpack. Happy adjusting!

Question: What situations have you adjusted to help someone else?