September is such a funny time of year in the UK isn’t it?
Education is so firmly routed around the academic year which stems from when many children were needed to help on farms with harvest. It seems bizarre to me that our academic year is still so focused around this when the majority of children no longer have to help with such tasks. Why do we not split up the six weeks summer holidays into smaller chunks more often? Would it not be more beneficial to everyone to have regular breaks rather than one huge one? I guess I don’t make the decisions around this, but I do like to ponder.
Regardless of the reasons why, the academic year affects us childminders because we lose and gain children often in September thanks to this. Many childminders are in the throws of change right now. Settling in new children, saying goodbye to children (and their families) that we have had for many years, getting to know new families and supporting everyone through transitions and change while managing our own emotions too. It’s quite a lot.
I find that it takes a lot of bravery and confidence to get through Septembers of change, and sometimes doubt can creep in. Yes even the most experienced of childminders can feel both excited and nervous about this change, and I’m here to say if that’s you, it’s normal!
One way of getting through these feelings once you notice them, is to remind yourself of evidence that shows you know what you are doing and that you will get through this little bumpy bit. So here’s a list of things that you might be able to tell yourself too. If you don’t have some of these things don’t panic! You just have different things to add you yours.
- I have been through this before and it always settles down
- I have skills and knowledge that are going to help each of these children in their journey
- I am an interesting person and will get to know new parents over time
- If I am not sure about something I can ask for support or look it up somewhere reputable, I don’t have to know everything to be good at my job
- If I find a weakness I can take a course to build my skills
- I offer services beyond looking after children. I am an educator, a chef, an events manager, a supporter, a mindfulness coach and more to small humans and their families
- I don’t have to take everything that happens so seriously, sometimes it’s ok to let it go
- It doesn’t have to be perfect to be positive and helpful.
- Change is hard for everyone
- Supporting other people is tiring, so I must look after my own needs too
- I know that things will feel more fun again
- I know that we will all settle into a routine
- I know that I have policies and contracts in place that will help protect me if I need to have a difficult conversation
Good luck to everyone going through the September changes.