Latest / Dr Justin Coulson's Happy Families / #190 Finally...It's Back to School

Transcript

#190 Finally...It's Back to School · Dr Justin Coulson's Happy Families

• 0:02
  Speaker 1: It's the Happy Families podcast.
• 0:05
  Speaker 2: It's the podcast for the time poor parent who just
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: wants answers. Now, I actually went out and got those
• 0:11
  Speaker 2: labels that I've seen everybody else have gone.
• 0:14
  Speaker 3: I don't think that the Beatles saying love is the answer,
• 0:16
  Speaker 3: but I think that they've meant to say, lady the answer.
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: And now here's the stars of our show, my mum
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: and dad.
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: Gooday.
• 0:24
  Speaker 3: This is doctor Justin Coulson, the author of six books
• 0:27
  Speaker 3: about raising happy families.
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: And I'm here with my wife and partner in.
• 0:31
  Speaker 3: Podcasting Mom to our six daughters, missus Happy Families Kite.
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: So we've been getting some really awesome feedback lately, even
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: though we've been on holidays, we've been getting awesome feedback.
• 0:41
  Speaker 3: We really appreciate your five star reviews. In fact, we
• 0:43
  Speaker 3: appreciate all of the reviews. We've got a three star.
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: Review that I'm going to share with everyone later on
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: in the week.
• 0:48
  Speaker 3: It's the first time we've ever not gotten a five
• 0:50
  Speaker 3: star review. It is, and we take all of your
• 0:52
  Speaker 3: feedback seriously, even the three stars, but this one's five.
• 0:55
  Speaker 3: A couple of I'm teasing saying, hey, listen up, there's
• 0:57
  Speaker 3: going to be a car crash in a few days.
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: Five star review.
• 1:00
  Speaker 3: From oz Dentists, who said, informative podcast in a light
• 1:04
  Speaker 3: and easy listening format. Really short and simple Doctor Justin
• 1:08
  Speaker 3: Coulson and Kylie is so easy to listen to. They
• 1:10
  Speaker 3: provide great perspective to many of the everyday challenges we
• 1:12
  Speaker 3: face raising our children. The length of the podcast makes
• 1:15
  Speaker 3: it an easy listen while driving, and I'm loving all
• 1:17
  Speaker 3: the tips and ideas that they offer. A very enjoyable
• 1:19
  Speaker 3: podcast for anyone who has to interact and assist in
• 1:22
  Speaker 3: any way raising capable, happy little people. So OS Dentist
• 1:26
  Speaker 3: thanks so much for that five star review. It's the
• 1:28
  Speaker 3: reviews that help people to find the podcast, bumps it
• 1:30
  Speaker 3: up through Apple's algorithm and makes it so that we
• 1:33
  Speaker 3: can help other people have happier families.
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: So there's been a lot of posts on Facebook lately
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: about first day back.
• 1:40
  Speaker 3: Tips, Yeah, getting back to school and surviving and that's
• 1:45
  Speaker 3: actually the word like people are freaking out a little bit.
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: Which is kind of weird.
• 1:48
  Speaker 3: We've put six children into school, two of them have
• 1:52
  Speaker 3: completely finished. We've got one in grade eleven this year,
• 1:54
  Speaker 3: one in eight, one and six, and our babies in
• 1:58
  Speaker 3: first grade. She's growing up so fast, and so we
• 2:00
  Speaker 3: hear all of the stress and I don't know, do
• 2:02
  Speaker 3: you get stressed anymore?
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: Our first day for you know, very very first day
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: of school for our children, each one of those, I've
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: definitely had some tea.
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: Yeah, a little bit.
• 2:12
  Speaker 3: It's a really big day, but you know, once you
• 2:14
  Speaker 3: kind of get into the flow of it, the stress
• 2:16
  Speaker 3: and the pressure drops off. And it's the same with
• 2:18
  Speaker 3: KINDI and preschool and that kind of thing as well.
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: We've been really lucky because each of our children have
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: actually been really excited to go back.
• 2:25
  Speaker 4: So first day back for our whole family, it's just
• 2:28
  Speaker 4: like a breath of fresh air.
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 2:30
  Speaker 3: In fact, can I be really honest, and I'm the
• 2:32
  Speaker 3: parenting expert, and I'm supposed to just love my kids,
• 2:34
  Speaker 3: and I do. I love our kids so very much,
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: But I'm going to be so glad when Wednesday rolls around.
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: And these holidays have been really different to what we
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: would normally experience.
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: I'm just so over Honestly.
• 2:47
  Speaker 3: I know it sounds really bad for me to say this,
• 2:49
  Speaker 3: and I'm supposed to always be happy and chirpy and
• 2:51
  Speaker 3: talking about how great families are, but I'm just so
• 2:53
  Speaker 3: sick of what holidays have done to us.
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: But you know what the real struggle has been.
• 2:58
  Speaker 4: We haven't had a holiday.
• 3:00
  Speaker 3: One, we haven't had a holiday, but number two, trying
• 3:02
  Speaker 3: to work when the kids aret at school, like you know,
• 3:05
  Speaker 3: and for anyone who's a single parent and try to
• 3:08
  Speaker 3: work while the kids aren't at school, or just any
• 3:11
  Speaker 3: families where you try to do the juggle and you've
• 3:13
  Speaker 3: got the kids going off to the grandparents. We don't
• 3:15
  Speaker 3: have that facility available at the moment because your mum's
• 3:17
  Speaker 3: not well enough and you know, you're trying to juggle
• 3:20
  Speaker 3: out of school hours care or you're trying to juggle
• 3:22
  Speaker 3: grandparents and extra curricular activities and friendship drop offs and
• 3:26
  Speaker 3: all that sort of stuff, and you just kind.
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: Of it does it totally does your head in.
• 3:30
  Speaker 3: And what's even worse is when they're not doing anything
• 3:32
  Speaker 3: and they just mope around the house.
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: I'm board on board, can I watch TV?
• 3:36
  Speaker 3: You know, and they just want to stare at Netflix
• 3:37
  Speaker 3: and screens. It's agonizing and I just can't wait till
• 3:40
  Speaker 3: school goes back. In Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and Tazzy,
• 3:44
  Speaker 3: it's this Wednesday and Thursday and then February the third
• 3:48
  Speaker 3: for the New South Wales Act in Wa States, So
• 3:52
  Speaker 3: big breath, We're nelly there. So anyway, the main point
• 3:55
  Speaker 3: that I wanted to make was routine, routine. Everyone's talking
• 3:57
  Speaker 3: about routine and stressing out about routine. Can I just say,
• 3:59
  Speaker 3: unless you've got kids who are really anxious or.
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: Oh, starting school, starting school for the very first time,
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: a new school.
• 4:07
  Speaker 3: I was starting a new school, yeah, don't stress out
• 4:09
  Speaker 3: about the routine.
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: They'll figure it out.
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: You know.
• 4:11
  Speaker 3: I had a mum contact us the other day and say,
• 4:14
  Speaker 3: my fifteen year old staying up until like eleven o'clock
• 4:16
  Speaker 3: twelve o'clock every night on social media? Do I need
• 4:18
  Speaker 3: to get her into a routine? And I was like,
• 4:20
  Speaker 3: you know, she's fifteen. She'll figure it out by day two.
• 4:22
  Speaker 3: She's going to be really tired on day one and
• 4:24
  Speaker 3: be horrible to be around, and on day two it's
• 4:26
  Speaker 3: going to be okay.
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: But fair call. If it works for you and your family,
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: or if.
• 4:33
  Speaker 3: Your children have the need for it, it's definitely worth
• 4:35
  Speaker 3: pushing for a little bit of routine a few days
• 4:38
  Speaker 3: before school goes back, get them go to bed on time.
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: Okay, that's my rant over.
• 4:42
  Speaker 3: But you've you've got all the experience, because while I've
• 4:45
  Speaker 3: been working talking about happy families, you've been raising the
• 4:47
  Speaker 3: happy family.
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: Can we talk about some of your tips to.
• 4:50
  Speaker 3: Help mums and dads get their kids organized for school?
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: Well, I wouldn't have thought this would be my first tip,
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: but after having a conversation with a friend of mine
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: who actually works in the state school system, my number
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: one tip is make sure your children are enrolled.
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: So she has had some kids show up that aren't enrolled.
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: N'th ten children on her first day back at school,
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: which is supposed to be the week before school where
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: teachers get to do all of the things that they
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: need to do, they had ten preppies show up.
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: That's pretty funny. Actually, it's kind of like, do my
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: kids go here?
• 5:22
  Speaker 3: But fair enough? I mean some people might not know
• 5:24
  Speaker 3: that you have to enroll. You just think you walk
• 5:26
  Speaker 3: in on day one and say, well, we're here, what
• 5:27
  Speaker 3: do we do now?
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: It's good to enroll.
• 5:29
  Speaker 3: And by the uniform and the school bag. Hey, we've
• 5:31
  Speaker 3: got a bunch of other tips though that you've been
• 5:34
  Speaker 3: thinking through. Let's talk about them right after this break.
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: It's their Happy Families podcast.
• 5:39
  Speaker 5: Are screens creating tension at home? Tweens, teens and Screens
• 5:43
  Speaker 5: is a webinar to guide families to healthy, safe superscreen solutions.
• 5:48
  Speaker 5: Bye today at happy families dot com dot au slash shop.
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: It's the Happy Families podcast, the podcast for the time
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: poor parent who just wants answers now, And we are
• 5:58
  Speaker 2: talking today about some tips to help everybody with that
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: first day back at school.
• 6:03
  Speaker 3: So get the routine organized to the extent that it's
• 6:06
  Speaker 3: necessary for your family.
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: Some families need it more than others.
• 6:09
  Speaker 3: Make sure, especially if you've got little kids, whether they're
• 6:11
  Speaker 3: going to daycare, kindie prep, grade one, whatever it is,
• 6:14
  Speaker 3: make sure that they're enrolled. That was the other big,
• 6:17
  Speaker 3: big tip. What else have you got.
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: Because hopefully everyone's ticked that one off the list and
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: we're doing really well.
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: So I've got four or five other.
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: Things that we can just make sure that we do
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: and maybe a few tips that will help people along
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: the way.
• 6:30
  Speaker 3: Because the reality is like today, Monday, twenty fifth of January,
• 6:34
  Speaker 3: only a matter of days now until everyone's back and
• 6:36
  Speaker 3: this is public holiday tomorrow, so yeah, and this is
• 6:38
  Speaker 3: a bit where everyone's running around and trying to get
• 6:40
  Speaker 3: the kids haircut and try to organize uniforms and thinking,
• 6:43
  Speaker 3: oh my goodness, we still haven't bought the school shoes.
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: So what do you do?
• 6:47
  Speaker 3: How do you avoid the mad panic when there's just
• 6:49
  Speaker 3: a few days or maybe a week to go.
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: Well, hopefully you haven't left these things till the last minute,
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: but if you have, you have buying uniforms. One of
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: the biggest money that we've experienced over the years is
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: just checking out on Facebook whether or not there is
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: a second hand selling platform for your school. Lots of
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: schools these don't actually have a shop front for secondhand
• 7:14
  Speaker 2: uniforms anymore, but parents will organize it of their own
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: accord on Facebook, and this is a great place to
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: just buy uniforms at a ridiculously reduced price, which helps
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: a huge amount.
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: And we have bought and sold.
• 7:27
  Speaker 3: We've done both many many times because our children have
• 7:30
  Speaker 3: been to so many schools and it's a really big
• 7:33
  Speaker 3: money saver. I've got a question for you, how many
• 7:35
  Speaker 3: how many uniforms do each of our kids have?
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: So in the beginning, I used to buy one a day,
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: so I'd have five uniforms for you know, one for
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: each to have the week for my six children.
• 7:46
  Speaker 3: Well that explins why our washing file was so big,
• 7:48
  Speaker 3: because you know, that's thirty uniforms at the end of
• 7:50
  Speaker 3: the week.
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, it was a really big lot.
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: But over the years I've recognized that I actually probably
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: don't need that, and if I'm doing the washing regular,
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: which I do, then I can have two formal uniforms
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: and one sports uniform because generally speaking they do.
• 8:04
  Speaker 4: Sports on a like a Tuesday and a Thursday. They're
• 8:07
  Speaker 4: not back to back.
• 8:08
  Speaker 3: Yeah, so there's a money savings there and also a
• 8:10
  Speaker 3: time saving. Hopefully some families might need different than that,
• 8:12
  Speaker 3: but so two regular uniforms, one sport uniform and hopefully
• 8:17
  Speaker 3: they'll get most families through, save some money, save some time.
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: Okay, what of the tips that have we got?
• 8:21
  Speaker 2: Just make sure they're ironed, mended if you're going to
• 8:23
  Speaker 2: the same school, and have them.
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: Set out the night before, and put the labels in them.
• 8:28
  Speaker 4: Oh, definitely labels.
• 8:29
  Speaker 3: Because by the end of winter you'll have lost at
• 8:31
  Speaker 3: least three or four jumpers, and that's even with the
• 8:33
  Speaker 3: labels in you'll lose even more otherwise, So labels, labels,
• 8:36
  Speaker 3: label labels on lunch boxes, labels and shoes labels on
• 8:39
  Speaker 3: socks label everything.
• 8:41
  Speaker 4: Next tip is shoes shoes.
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: Over the years, we've tried so many different options, and
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: we have just found that while you'll spend a lot
• 8:50
  Speaker 2: more by going to a certified shoe fitter and buying
• 8:53
  Speaker 2: a really good quality pair of shoes, the long run,
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: not only will your children's feet and body benefit from
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: but your bank account actually will be glad for it
• 9:04
  Speaker 2: as well because you won't be replacing shoes. Our girls
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: get a pair of shoes at the beginning of the
• 9:08
  Speaker 2: year and it lasts them.
• 9:09
  Speaker 4: The whole year.
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: So hashtag not sponsored. Just want to be really clear
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: about that. We stopped buying Clarks for a year or
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: two because we had no money. We were students.
• 9:17
  Speaker 3: It was too much of a struggle and we actually
• 9:19
  Speaker 3: the kids had allows the experience with their shoes.
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: Their shoes fell apart. It just didn't work out. We
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: spent bad. Yeah, we spent more.
• 9:27
  Speaker 3: Money, and then we ended up going and buying Clarks anyway.
• 9:29
  Speaker 3: So for us, if you're buying formal school shoes by Clarks,
• 9:32
  Speaker 3: it's just it costs more, but it actually works out
• 9:37
  Speaker 3: much much better.
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: What's your next tip?
• 9:39
  Speaker 2: So lunchboxes. This has been the bane probably absolute bane
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: of my life when it comes to schooling because with
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: so many children, I literally will be replacing the containers.
• 9:50
  Speaker 2: The plastic containers draw every term.
• 9:53
  Speaker 3: So I want to highlight something here. Over the years,
• 9:55
  Speaker 3: we've tried so many different kinds of lunchboxes, and now
• 9:57
  Speaker 3: we've settled on buying a lunch box and sticking a
• 10:00
  Speaker 3: handful of plastic containers in there that have got a
• 10:02
  Speaker 3: sandwich in one and you know, some fruit in another one,
• 10:06
  Speaker 3: maybe some yoga in another one.
• 10:08
  Speaker 2: Can I just skills being very much, you know, kind
• 10:10
  Speaker 2: of pushing children in that way? So we're recycling, you know,
• 10:12
  Speaker 2: we're using recyclabok.
• 10:13
  Speaker 3: Our kids actually went to one school where they weren't
• 10:15
  Speaker 3: allowed to leave their rubbish and the rubbishins at school.
• 10:17
  Speaker 3: They had to bring their rubbish home because the school
• 10:19
  Speaker 3: was spinning so much money on rubbish dumping.
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: I was, I was astoundard when I heard that. But
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: can I just have a quick rant.
• 10:24
  Speaker 3: You know those those Bento lunch boxes that cost about
• 10:27
  Speaker 3: fifty dollars a pop, just I don't even know how
• 10:32
  Speaker 3: to say how infuriating like that. They're so pointless for
• 10:36
  Speaker 3: little kids. The kids can't get the things open. They
• 10:39
  Speaker 3: say that they're liquid proof and they don't spill, but
• 10:42
  Speaker 3: they do. Just like by, don't spend a fortune on
• 10:46
  Speaker 3: lunch boxes. Just send it in a paper bag or
• 10:48
  Speaker 3: a couple of plastic containers.
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: Put a label on it.
• 10:51
  Speaker 4: Lucky, you're not doing lunch.
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: No, come on, I'll put your lunch in a paper
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: bag and see how you feel about it after it's
• 10:57
  Speaker 2: been joggling around in your school bag all day.
• 10:59
  Speaker 3: I just think we make too much of a big
• 11:01
  Speaker 3: deal about lunch boxes. You've made me spend on them
• 11:04
  Speaker 3: over the years.
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: Well I haven't because I actually was so excited when
• 11:08
  Speaker 2: I went into the container drawer. I want to say tuperware,
• 11:11
  Speaker 2: but you get me in trouble all the time.
• 11:12
  Speaker 4: We don't have to wear the kids.
• 11:13
  Speaker 3: We lost all the tupe ofwar. We spent too much
• 11:15
  Speaker 3: money on top ofware. Now we buy the cheap stuff
• 11:16
  Speaker 3: from cold.
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: The container drawer. When I went to sort through and
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: work out what I was going to have to go
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: and buy and replace for this year, I don't have
• 11:24
  Speaker 2: to replace a thing.
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: Really.
• 11:26
  Speaker 4: After eighteen months, I found a new system.
• 11:29
  Speaker 2: I brought everyone a set with different sized containers in it,
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: so They've got five containers, all different sizes, And then
• 11:35
  Speaker 2: I did.
• 11:36
  Speaker 4: I actually went out and got those labels that I've
• 11:38
  Speaker 4: seen everybody else have and gone, I don't need that.
• 11:41
  Speaker 3: The Beatles saying love is the answer, but I think
• 11:43
  Speaker 3: that they meant to say ladies are the answer.
• 11:46
  Speaker 2: And it has made all of the difference. The kids
• 11:48
  Speaker 2: know exactly what is their lunchbox container and it comes home.
• 11:54
  Speaker 2: I have been like, honestly eighteen months without having to
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: replace a set.
• 11:58
  Speaker 3: It's a big deal because we have replaced a lot
• 12:01
  Speaker 3: of tupplewaar and plastic wear over the years, so the
• 12:03
  Speaker 3: label makes a huge difference. We're running out of time,
• 12:07
  Speaker 3: so have you got any last minute tips for families
• 12:08
  Speaker 3: that are trying to get it together. We've got routine,
• 12:10
  Speaker 3: you've got to enroll the kids. There's labels, there's uniforms,
• 12:13
  Speaker 3: there's shoes, there's lunch boxes.
• 12:15
  Speaker 4: The last one I would talk about is just appointments.
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: You mentioned it at the beginning. You know, haircuts, get
• 12:20
  Speaker 2: your kids' haircuts. I do it, you know, every term,
• 12:22
  Speaker 2: and it's a holiday adventure. The kids love going on
• 12:25
  Speaker 2: the haircut, hairdresses.
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: My wallet doesn't their haircuts, man.
• 12:29
  Speaker 2: But a couple that people may not be thinking about.
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: Take them to the dentist, make sure everything's right there,
• 12:34
  Speaker 2: and that can be you know, that's a six monthly
• 12:36
  Speaker 2: thing as well. And then the optometrist. That's probably the
• 12:39
  Speaker 2: biggest one. Yeah, go and get your eyes checked. Are
• 12:42
  Speaker 2: your kids eyes checked, and just make sure that everything
• 12:44
  Speaker 2: is good there, because they're staring at blackboards and books
• 12:48
  Speaker 2: all day every day and now they've got the added
• 12:51
  Speaker 2: strain on their eyes with screens and it makes such
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: a difference to their eyes.
• 12:55
  Speaker 3: And you might find that your children are complaining about
• 12:58
  Speaker 3: being tired or having headaches, or they're not learning, or
• 13:00
  Speaker 3: they're being destructive in class, and you know, there's all
• 13:02
  Speaker 3: these behavioral issues that you're thinking, oh my goodness, what's
• 13:05
  Speaker 3: the matter with my child?
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: And it could just be their eyes.
• 13:07
  Speaker 3: So and we found that with our kids it was
• 13:09
  Speaker 3: worth going and doing that optometry stuff because it's made
• 13:12
  Speaker 3: a big difference.
• 13:14
  Speaker 2: So hopefully you've been able to tick the box with
• 13:16
  Speaker 2: all of these you've already done them.
• 13:17
  Speaker 4: But if not, hopefully you'll find something helpful.
• 13:21
  Speaker 3: Without falling into a mad dash and stress. Because of
• 13:23
  Speaker 3: all the ideas that colleague just shared with you. We
• 13:25
  Speaker 3: really hope that you enjoyed this podcast. We've really tried
• 13:28
  Speaker 3: to be as practical as we can with getting back
• 13:29
  Speaker 3: to school. If you do enjoy the podcast, please be
• 13:32
  Speaker 3: like os Dentists and share a five star review on
• 13:34
  Speaker 3: Apple Podcasts so that other people can find out about
• 13:36
  Speaker 3: it and make their families happier. Justin rule On from
• 13:39
  Speaker 3: Bridge Media is our producer. Craig Bruce is our executive producer,
• 13:42
  Speaker 3: and if you'd like more information about making your family flourish,
• 13:45
  Speaker 3: please check out the Happy Families membership. We would love
• 13:48
  Speaker 3: to welcome you to the Happy Famili's family. You can
• 13:51
  Speaker 3: get all the information at happy families dot com dot
• 13:53
  Speaker 3: au