Blessing the Backpacks

Last week, a friend of mine sent me a link to an article in the Huffington Post religion section about a church who gathers children together for a "blessing of the backpacks" ritual. This back to school ceremony gathers children together before the start of the school year to offer them a blessing and remind them that God is with them as they start off to school.
How smart! Like many of you, I just sent off my children to school this morning. My daughter begins first grade with a new teacher and my son begins third grade in the same autism support classroom that he was in last year. Both children have grown so much physically, emotionally and cognitively since leaving school last June. The summer was rich with family time, travel, outdoor concerts, camp and time just to relax and stay up late.

For many of us parents, Labor Day weekend is an emotionally-packed time, as we address our children's anxieties about the coming school year and face our own. Will our child have a teacher who "gets" them? Will they make new friends? How will we balance homework with down time and after-school activities?
The "Blessing of the Backpack" ritual is one way to calm and center families during this transitional time and help keep this new beginning in perspective. In our Jewish tradition, we are fortunate to begin the new school year just as we begin the new year with Rosh Hashana.
Rosh Hashana, coming in just a few weeks, is an opportunity for us to enter the new year with reflection, prayer and family traditions. Over the next couple of weeks, I'll share ideas about celebrating the new year with young children.
If you and your family have special traditions to celebrate the start of school or the start of the new year, please post your comments below--thank you.
May all of our children be blessed with a fantastic school year!