09/01/2026
Back-to-school jitters are not just for the children. This morning, waking my children up for school felt surreal. Back-to-school season is often filled with smiling pictures, fresh clothes, new supplies, and hopeful beginnings, but behind many of those smiles is a parent quietly carrying a thousand questions. Will my child feel included or isolated? Will they be understood? Will someone recognize when they are struggling? Will their abilities be seen before their challenges? Will they be safe, supported, and treated with compassion?
As a Certified Parent Peer Specialist, I recognize that the challenges our children experience, their emotions, fears, disappointments, and concerns often deeply affect us as parents too. We worry about the first day, the last day, and every difficult moment in between, all the way to the last day of school, even after the bell rings. We worry about whether our children will truly be seen, with or without mental health, intellectual, developmental, behavioral, or substance use concerns. Sometimes, we are simply concerned because we know how much the world can ask of our children before it ever takes the time to understand them.
I have a young adult living nearly 1,000 miles away from home, and I think about her constantly. Where is she? Who is she with? Is she safe? Is she okay? At the same time, I know I have to let go enough for her to grow, even when letting go feels completely unnatural.
I have a son entering high school after spending years in a system that has too often diminished his abilities, overlooked his skills, and focused more heavily on what it defines as behavioral concerns. It is a system that too often places Black boys on educational tracks that do not challenge them and then labels them bored, disengaged, or uninterested when they stop connecting with what is being taught. I wonder whether this will be the year he is finally seen for everything he is capable of becoming. While wondering, how far can my advocacy really go when itâs resisting the system that ignores his capabilities to protect its insecurities of seeing him thrive beyond the stigmas.
I have a daughter entering eighth grade who has never been considered a concern at school, but I still worry. She is loving, empathetic, and deeply caring. My concern is whether she has the situational awareness and discernment to recognize when others may not carry the same heart she does. How do I protect her tenderness without teaching her to harden it?
All of these realities are real. The pride is real. The excitement is real. The fear is real. The letting go is real. Today, I want to honor the parents and caregivers smiling for the pictures while quietly holding their breath. The ones praying at the bus stop, watching the clock, checking their phones, sending one more message, and hoping they have prepared their children for situations they cannot control.
Parents and caregivers, you are not overreacting, and you are not worrying alone. What first-day-of-school jitters are you carrying this year?
In community,
A CEO Thoughts Beyond The Backpack
