Don’t rush your child out of this school year

Every July we start rushing children towards the next thing - new schools, new uniforms, new routines - while they’re often still emotionally living inside this school year.A girl said something quietly heartbreaking to me recently:“No one’s asking me if I’m sad.”I think children need help not only preparing for what’s next, but noticing what mattered about what’s ending.The end of term can become such a blur of sports days, assemblies and exhaustion that we forget to pause long enough for meaning to catch up.Sometimes the most powerful thing we can offer is not preparation, but presence.A hot chocolate.A slower conversation.A moment to notice who they’ve become this year.Thank you for pausing with me. Take care. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kimmccabe.substack.com/subscribe