Helping Kids And Parents Handle Back-To-School Stress Together

September marks more than the return of pencils, backpacks, and lunchboxes. It’s a reset button of sorts, a season of fresh schedules, shifting roles, and new expectations. Yet with that change comes stress for kids, parents, and professionals alike.

A recent report highlights that children can lose up to 40% of their educational gains during summer. That kind of academic whiplash makes the return to structured learning even more intense. For parents, the pressure of organizing drop-offs, homework, and activities layers on top of their own work demands. And in workplaces across the country, stress continues to simmer under cultures that prize constant availability.

These transitions aren’t just busy. They reveal something deeper: how urgently people need mental health support across every stage of life.

Kids and Parents Resetting Their Well-Being

It can be tempting for caregivers to push through back-to-school chaos without pausing for themselves. However, Susan Foosness, Clinical Director of Patient Programs at Rula Health, says the season is actually an ideal moment for parents to hit the reset button.

“Back-to-school time (much like the new year) is an opportunity to reset family norms and expectations and set goals for the upcoming year,” explained Foosness. “There are so many changes in the day-to-day rhythm of home after a long unstructured summer break , not to mention transitions to new classrooms, schools, peer groups, and activities. It can be a lot for parents to manage, especially if you’re the primary social/school organizer.”

She stresses that filling your own reserves is just as critical as getting school supplies ready. “This is a great time of year to prioritize your own well-being, whether that’s exercise, a new hobby, prioritizing sleep, or even seeing a therapist to address deeper concerns. Going to therapy, and even being transparent with your children about this decision, helps model good mental health for them and normalizes that it’s okay to talk to someone about your feelings.”

Parents often wrestle with guilt over “me time.” Foosness is quick to reframe this. “Self-care is caregiving. If you are experiencing guilt about taking time for yourself, that’s a sign that perhaps your responsibilities in the family are imbalanced, and it’s time for a reset.” She suggests tools like Fair Play, a framework for rebalancing household duties, to bring more equity into family life.

Modeling Resilience in Mental Health for Kids

Transitions are opportunities to build resilience in children, a skill that researchers have identified as one of the strongest predictors of long-term well-being. Foosness said parents can model resilience aloud in small moments. “Parents can help kids build their ‘resilience muscle’ by helping children name and recall ‘times when I tried my best’ and celebrate their wins or process their setbacks. Parents can also model this aloud in ‘car-time conversations’ by talking about their own daily highs and lows and sharing how they faced a challenging situation at work.”

The National Scientific Council on the Developing Child points out that resilience is strengthened when kids have at least one stable relationship with an adult. That doesn’t always have to be mom or dad. Foosness encourages parents to embrace those connections, whether it’s a teacher, coach, or trusted family member. “As children grow into tweens and teens, it’s natural that they pull away from mom or dad as their primary cheerleader. So encourage those other relationships, they matter more than you think.”

Kids and the Challenge of “New”

Kids themselves face an emotional rollercoaster in September. Taryn H. Parker, Director of Curriculum & Training at The Little Gym International, explained that stress often stems from the sheer volume of “new” experiences.

“New school years breed new routines, new teachers, new classmates, friends, lesson plans, lunch times, recess, access to clubs, etc. All of the things, so to speak! So how do we narrow it down and help equip our children with the tools needed to handle ‘the new’?” Parker said.

One of those tools is flexibility. “Flexibility means knowing what we can control and what we cannot. As educators and parents, it is important to teach children how to strengthen what I like to call their ‘emotional flexibility.’” She recommends open-ended check-ins that focus on emotions rather than logistics. Questions like, What surprised you today? Or, when did you laugh the hardest? Prompt richer conversations and normalize emotional expression.

Movement and play are equally important. Parker put it simply: “Play is the work of children. It’s often said, but I don’t think we get enough of it. Every arm they raise on the monkey bars is the same arm they raise to answer that question in English Lit. Right or wrong, we want them to try!”

Kids Feel the Stress And So Do Parents in the Workplace

Stress doesn’t stop at the schoolyard. Adults carry it into their offices and Zoom calls. And while “burnout” has become a buzzword, it often masks deeper issues.

“Burnout gets a lot of attention, but it’s really just one symptom of deeper systemic issues in workplace culture,” said Lolly Coleman, LMFT, and Senior Manager of Clinical Engagement also at Rula Health. “One major factor is the pressure to be ‘on constantly.’ Whether it’s being expected to respond to messages outside of work hours or the unspoken idea that taking time off is a sign of weakness, this ‘always-available’ mindset chips away at mental health over time.”

She added that unclear expectations are another culprit. “When employees don’t have clarity around their roles, goals, or priorities, it can create daily chronic stress, not just occasional overwhelm. Ambiguity directly lends itself to burnout, and the solution for this is at the manager level.”

Trust, Coleman argues, is the single most powerful management tool. “Managers should remember that they hired their team because they had faith that they could get the job done. Checking in on non-work matters, offering kindness when personal life interrupts professional duties, and showing genuine interest builds confidence and loyalty.”

Affordable therapy access is also part of the equation. Coleman noted, “When mental health benefits are included as a part of employment, it sends a clear message that the organization values employee well-being. But it can’t stop at simply offering the benefit. Companies also need to give employees the flexibility and autonomy actually to make use of it.”

Research supports this. A Harvard Business Review analysis found that cultures expecting constant connection drain employees of energy and retention. At the same time, Mental Health America has documented how workplace supports directly link to loyalty and productivity.

A Season of Stress For Kids, and Opportunity

The back-to-school transition isn’t just about kids cracking open new notebooks. It’s a societal mirror that reflects how stress permeates every stage of life. Children wrestle with novelty. Parents juggle responsibilities and guilt. Workers buckle under cultures that prize constant output over sustainable support.

Yet within those pressures lies possibility. September is a reminder that mental health care isn’t an add-on , it’s foundational.

Parker captured it well when she said that every step kids take, whether on the playground or in the classroom, builds skills that last a lifetime. The same is true for adults. Each moment of self-care, therapy, or workplace culture change builds toward resilience, too.

Because transitions are unavoidable, stress will show up. The real test is whether we meet those moments with silence and strain, or with support and care for kids, parents, and employees alike.