Back To School Advice For the Parent of the School-Age Child

School-age children are great to have around. They are more cooperative and friendly than teenagers. They are less helpless than babies. They are a lot cleaner and neater than toddlers. Children around the ages of five through twelve are at a great time in their lives to receive moral training and to be reinforced in every good thing parents want to teach their children. 
This is a good time to look at habits and traditions that will give children a good grounding for life. Children also love to have some amount of undivided attention from their parents each day. Here are a few ideas for things you can do with your child each day.
Though they are getting independent in dressing and self-care, children of this age will still appreciate a bedtime routine that involves a parent's attention. Turn off the television for at least the half hour before bedtime and take one's time in overseeing the brushing of teeth and hair. Help them pick up things they may stumble over in the dark and be sure they have clothes, books and papers in place for the next morning. They are not too old to have a bedtime storybook, and as they improve their reading, they may even like to read the book to the parent. A hug and a kiss as the last thing before turning off the light is a great tradition, too.
Develop a routine for what you do in the morning before you part from your child. Breakfast is recognized as being essential to a child's learning. Depending on your religious traditions, morning and breakfast time is as convenient as any for a devotional. Just before your child gets out of your physical reach for the day, a kiss and a hug and an "I love you" or a "have a great day" can set a positive tone to the rest of their morning. Depending on their mode of transportation to school, you may wave until the bus drives out of sight, or throw a kiss as they get out of your car. 
Your child's school-age years are your opportunity to set a tone for love and involvement before they enter their teen years. Hopefully, you will form a strong enough bond to outlast those years and form a respectful and affectionate relationship with them for the rest of their lives. Your school-aged child needs to know that you will take the time for them.