Image: Flickr/Donnie Ray Jones

“When you are eight years old, nothing is any of your business.” (Lenny Bruce)

It’s easy for parents to forget what it was like to be a kid. It’s easy to forget what it’s like being small — feeling as if no part of your life is up to you and having to constantly play “follow-the-leader”. It’s pretty common for kids to have trouble right after going back to school. They’ve had to readjust to so much structure all day. When they get home, they’re likely to just throw a fit for seemingly no reason at all.

If you find that happening in your home, try a little empathy: “Wow, seems like you’re having a rough day. Is today one of those ‘it’s-tough-to-be-a-kid’ days?”

Your kid may not necessarily respond in a way that you’d like, but she’ll definitely get the impression that you’re trying to understand. And that can sometimes make all the difference.