We’re only a few weeks into the school year, and already the backpacks are heavier, the schedules are fuller, and the worry is creeping back in. Is my child keeping up? Are they anxious about friends again this year? Am I going to lose my patience? If the start of school already has you running on empty, you’re not alone. This is a good moment to pause and ask what actually protects kids’ mental health and wellbeing.
This month Peace At Home founder Ruth Freeman, LCSW talks with Marianne Barton, PhD, retired Clinical Professor and Director of Clinical Training at the University of Connecticut, where she spent more than 30 years working directly with children and families on development, mental health, and emotional wellbeing.
Ruth and Marianne will explore what it really means to be your child’s calm center: not a perfectly patient parent, just a steady one, and what helps you get there when your patience is running thin. They’ll discuss the idea of the parent as a child’s secure anchor, the relationship kids return to and draw their confidence from as their world gets bigger. They’ll talk honestly about self-care, not as a reward, but as the result of leaning on other people, so that support can reach your kids through you.
This is a live conversation, not a lecture, so bring your real questions. Send them ahead of time to Solutions@peaceathomeparenting.com, or raise your hand or drop them in the chat during the session.
By the end, you’ll have a clearer answer to a question worth sitting with at the start of any school year: what actually helps kids succeed, in school and in life, more than any tutor or extracurricular ever could.