Fresh School Tips for Parents
Barrington H. Brennen, August 12, 2026
PDF Format
Parents,
the school doors are soon to open, and you will
have a myriad of tasks to accomplish to get your
children ready for school. That is expected.
However, I must take the time to give you a few
tips to help make your parenting role more
effective and productive and to help your
children do well in school
TIP ONE:
Remember you are the parent. You are the
supervisor and go-between with the school. Get
to know everything you need to know about your
child’s school, including what is expected of
you and the child during the school year.
TIP TWO: When
your child comes home from school, do not ask if
he or she has homework. Most children will lie,
and you will be training them not to be totally
honest. First, they must understand that at the
end of every school day there is always
homework. If there are no homework assignments
by the teacher, they would have to spend at
least one hour reviewing what was done in class
that day or preparing for the next day’s
schoolwork. Parents, make sure you look at the
child’s schoolwork regularly, even the senior
students. Of course, the frequency of parental
checks will depend on the age and maturity of
the child. The younger the child, the more
frequent the checks.
TIP THREE: Give
them a good breakfast. Growing children must
have a good breakfast. The fuel is needed for
physical and mental energy needs throughout the
day. A good breakfast would include a good
source of protein and
some wholegrain food/cereal, etc. Here was one
of my childhood breakfast treats I enjoyed.
It was cottage cheese salad. My mother would
mix cottage cheese with diced apples and
raisins, and sprinkle with wheat germ. It was
delicious and very nutritious. I loved eating
that with peanut and guava jam sandwiches. Be
reminded parents that much of the mental
sluggishness and lethargy your child experiences
while in school is usually a direct result of
poor breakfast or having no breakfast at all.
In addition to having a good breakfast, ensure
they take good multivitamins.
TIP FOUR:
Ensure that the child, at least the older
children, prepares his or her own school
uniform, especially ironing, etc. There is no
need for parents with pre-teens and teens to
struggle day and night to wash and iron clothing
for their children to go to school. Preparing
one’s own school uniforms is a part of the
process of learning and developing
self-discipline. It is an integral part in
developing self-discipline, self-government, and
self-reliance.
TIP
FIVE:
Make sure your child makes up his or her own bed
every morning when they first get up. In a
previous article I wrote titled “Please, Make Up
Your Bed,” I stated the following: “Some
parents might think it is not important or do
not have it on the list of morning priorities.
The rush for school or work is a convenient
excuse. Here are more poor excuses: There is a
helper in the home who makes us the beds,
school is more important, he/she wakes up too
late before going to school. One teen said:
“Why should I make up my bed when I am going to
use the bed first thing when I get home from
school?” These are all diversion tactics.”
I shared these four reasons why making up the
bed first thing in the morning is so
important:
“1. It’s a tool for developing
self-discipline. Personal discipline or
total self-government is one of the most
important tools a parent is to instill in
their offspring. It is the foundation
needed to face the world.
2. It teaches about the importance of
setting priorities. Ignoring the simple or
seemingly unimportant things in life
prepares the child to ignore proper care of
one’s environment, orderliness, and a sense
of beauty.
3. It teaches about community involvement
and team play. Living as though one is a
part of a community—home, neighborhood or
country—is an integral ingredient of
personal growth and camaraderie.
4.
It helps one to understand that starting
with the simple tasks in the morning sets
the tone for the rest of the day. As
inferred in the other three points, when one
ignores this simple task, it impacts one’s
ability to handle the bigger tasks for the
rest of the day.”
Read Article
Parents, if you want smart children, start
requiring them to make up their beds every
morning before going to school.
TIP SIX:
Do not go to sleep at night before your
school-age children go to sleep. That is a big
mistake parents make. Many parents are not
aware that their young children are up all night
with their phones, iPad, etc, talking with
friends, until the wee hours of the morning.
They cannot stay awake in class. Remember,
self-discipline is a goal in parenting. Set the
time for your children to go to bed. The
primary school children should be in bed by
seven or eight o’clock at night. The teens
perhaps at 8 or 9 p.m. Note that they need
between nine and twelve hours of sleep each
night to be healthy and wise. This generation
of young children and teens are the most
sleep-deprived since the beginning of
humankind. This is because parents are lazy
and give open reign for their children to use
devices. This must stop.
Dear parents, remember that you play a pivotal
role in helping to make your children successful
in school. Take these tips seriously.
Barrington H. Brennen is a marriage and family
therapist. Send your comments or questions to question@soencouragement.org or
call 1-242-477 4002 or visit
www.soencouragement.org
