Back to school is here!

You know what that means, mamas?

• Mommy/daughter botox and lip fillers
• $700 Balenciaga Croc Stillettos for your seventh grader (In all four colors)
• Setting up your kids’ Uber Eats accounts so they can charge takeout to your credit card during lunch time.

JUST KIDDING. (Maybe unless you’re a Kardashian.)

Despite what Instagram tells us, the majority of folks doing the back-to-school thang are NORMAL PEOPLE. So here is a permission slip for us Normies.

Permission to stop treating last year’s backpack like the velveteen rabbit. No need to incinerate slightly-scuffed gear. Toss that baby in the washing machine and watch it sparkle. If there aren’t holes, rips, or graffiti on said bag, it will serve us another year.

Permission for your child’s lunch to not resemble a meal at Nobu. Shoutout to the grown-ups who thrived off Wonderbread, fritos, apples, and a twinkie for lunch every day. Look how awesome we turned out. Resist the picturesque lunch box pressure, people.

Permission to celebrate and enjoy hand-me-downs. What’s not to love about “new to you” clothing? If it fits and your kid digs it, hallelujah! Don’t say no to nice stuff just because it’s been previously enjoyed. (Espesh if you can snag yourselves some of those Balenciaga croc pumps…)

Permission to not helicopter parent. I heard a wise tidbit recently, “If you take responsibility for your child, you take responsibility from your child.” School is a perfect opportunity for our kids to experience the consequences of their choices, both the good and bad. If they forget their lunch again and you warned that next time it’d be cafeteria multi-meat stew…welp? Slurps up!

Permission to not volunteer for everything. Just because the soccer team and the Booster Club and the Site Council needs a new chair, doesn’t mean you’re the one who should do all of it. If you’re anything like me, you’ve made the mistake before. Too-full plates turn us into twitchy people who snap at their kids, foiled by overcommitment and good intentions. Know your limitations and practice saying, “Sorry, I’m not able to commit to that right now.”

Permission to breathe and reassess your priorities. Take a minute over your hot coffee in your quiet house. Think about whether your days are furthering your long-term goals for your family. What are the most important things you want to impart to your kids while they’re under your roof? Do your days further those goals? Maybe you want your kids to know and love God, but you feel far away yourself. Join a Bible study! Maybe you want to enjoy more connection with your kids, but everyone’s tethered to their devices. You can change that. (I literally wrote the book for how to do that. 🙂

Most of all, here’s permission to love your kids well, no matter what season your family is in. During the car rides, across the dinner table, waiting at the bus stop, walks around the block.

Cheers-ing my mug of strong black coffee to you, mama-friends! We got this.