UNITED STATES—Why is it so many parents and kids get anxiety with the start of the new school season? Well with a new school year, comes a list of new problems. I’ll be honest the biggest issue might be the separation anxiety that most parents deal with, especially for children who are first heading to school. Jeez, I remember my first day of school so clearly, it’s almost scary.

I was literally attached to my mother’s leg, screaming my heart out for her to not leave me alone with these people. I had to be balling in tears for almost 30 minutes before my teacher just told my mother to go, he’ll be ok. For a kid that had five other siblings, playing with other kids should have been no issue. I think it’s the idea of security. Your safety, your wellbeing is now in the hands of people that you don’t know; so it’s a question of can you trust these individuals.

I think after the ice is broken with that first day of school than things become easier for the child and the parent, but making friends is not as easy as it appears for most people. This does indeed become problematic for those who find themselves at a new school each year. It almost defeats the purpose of making friends because of the fear of never getting to see that person again.

That was something that annoyed me so much about the back to school season. It was always a new school and having to make new friends all over again. It places you in an awkward position that continues to challenge the student.

For parents one of the big problems is not having their little one at their feet. The bond between a child and parent and a parent and child is just as important. Parents just aren’t as comfortable leaving their child in the care of someone that they don’t completely know. It’s a game of psychology; in the parents eyes no one will care for my child like the way that I would care for my child.

So it’s an adjustment for the parent to relinquish a bit of control, a bit of parenting for a couple of hours each day a week to a complete stranger. The parent becomes more at ease when they see that their child is acclimating to going to school. If the child eases the worry for the parent, it makes the parent less anxious as the days continue.

Other worries include the purchasing of school supplies and new clothing. School supplies are quite expensive and schools are asking for parents to purchase more and more supplies each year. Things like hand soap, tissue, sanitizer, chalk, chalk board erasers and other amenities have been added to the list of must have supplies. I recall vividly during middle school, a detailed list of supplies that we had to have.

Factor in the price and you’re talking about anywhere from $250-$500 per child! That’s not even factoring in new school clothes, which can range into the hundreds depending on rather uniforms or everyday clothing is purchased. As fun as going back to school can be, it can be so stressful, which explains why so much anxiety comes with the new school season.

Best advice I can dish out is to not sweat it. What doesn’t kill you does indeed make you stronger. Just stop looking at the new school year as a new school year, but a continuation of the previous year. It might be helpful if Americaimplemented the idea of year-round school, so there isn’t an actual hiccup in the school year.