I enjoyed the tips outlined by Dr. Michele Borba about the six most common back-to-school hassles that families will face in the coming months and some simple solutions. The new school year can bring frantic mornings, homework wars, forgotten lunches, and carpool conundrums.  Here are  Borba’s suggested solutions:

1. Sleepy Heads. If you spent most of the past school year screaming, “Wake Up!!” you’re not alone. Nobody likes an early morning, and kids can be especially tough to drag out of bed when a school day is looming on the other side of the covers. Borba says kids should take ownership of their own early-rising. She suggests buying simple-to-use alarm clocks for each of your school-age children, and teaching them how to set them at night. That way, you aren’t their personal “Big Ben” anymore, and they learn that arriving on time at school is their responsibility.

“My favorite alarm for kids who are perpetually late is called ‘Clocky’,” Borba says. “It gives your kid only one chance to get up, and if he hits snooze, the clock literally jumps off the nightstand and wheels around the room. In addition to alarm clocks, oven timers can be a great reminder for kids who tend to procrastinate and lose track of time in the mornings. When that timer dings, you’re in the car and leaving for school-whether your kid is ready to go or not. It will only take one time arriving to school in pajamas or without his homework for Timmy to become more motivated in the mornings.”

2. The Great Breakfast Battle. School day mornings are hard enough to manage without the added worry of your children missing the most important meal of the day. If breakfast time seems to get lost in the hectic shuffle at your house, try instant oatmeal in a cup, a banana, and a juice box. It is a  complete breakfast that can be eaten in the car on the way to school, and extra protein or granola bars can be stashed in backpacks for just-in-case hunger cravings throughout the day. Have your kids lay out their bowls and choice of breakfast cereal on the kitchen counter the night before so that there is no stalling over decision-making in the morning. And if you’re really frantic, you can stock your car with extra nutritious goodies like apples and trail mix.

3. Manic Mornings. How many mornings have you spent frantically searching for your car keys, the field trip permission slip, or soccer cleats for that afternoon’s practice? If the answer is too many, it’s time to make some changes. Borba suggests putting a box by the front door as a “catch-all” for all those miscellaneous items that seem to be missing right when you need them most. This way, all those elusive troublemakers: library books, baseball gloves, and violins, can always be located when you need them. Make yourself an extra set (or two!) of all your keys and hang them on a hook above the box by the door. 
“If lost teacher notes, school notices, or conference schedules are a reoccurring problem, then you have to set a new family policy: ‘Walk in, open your backpack, and put any notes or graded papers in the basket.’ Then it’s up to you to consistently check the basket nightly and tend to those needing your signature. If you return them to your child’s backpack ASAP for next-day delivery, you’ll avoid a lot of hassle in the long run, and before you know it, it will be a habit you won’t even have to think twice about anymore.”

4. Scattered Schedules. Kids today have busier schedules than ever. While extracurricular activities are great for them, being their personal calendar manger can be a full-time, frustrating job for you. That’s why it’s time to help them get themselves organized. Borba suggests buying a large white marker board (laminated poster board will work just as well) and dry-erase markers to start a family schedule. Using a different colored marker for each kid in your family, take some time on Sunday afternoon to let them fill out their weekly schedules. Emphasize to the kids that they are responsible for knowing where they have to be each day.

“With weekly music lessons, soccer practices, field trips, sharing days, and spelling tests, it’s no wonder parents feel overwhelmed and kids feel overscheduled,” Borba says. “By keeping these events organized and by letting kids take ownership of their own schedules, parents’ stress is relieved and kids are able to learn important life skills. Nobody has to be left out, either: you can use photographs or drawings of different events and family members so that even the youngest family members can keep track of who’s doing what and where. It’s a great way to get the whole family involved.”

5. Carpool Conundrums. As kids get older and their schedules become even busier, most parents find themselves spending hours in the car driving from practice to practice, and even more time waiting for the lessons to be over.  Borba suggests setting up your vehicle as a mini-office so that you can utilize that lull time more productively. For instance, hang a shoe sorter over the back of the seat and stock it full of toys, books, or tapes to listen to (just be sure to rotate the stash every so often) so that siblings stay entertained. And a small ice chest stocked with juice boxes and water-great for kids coming in from a long sports practice-can also double as a spare desk for homework help on the go.

“The key to filling those wasted hours is to simply plan ahead,” explains Borba. “Fill a bin with school supplies, such as pencils, pens, notebook paper, flashcards, a dictionary, and a calculator-and knock out that homework while you wait. Cookie sheets make a great lap desk for doing work in the car, and they store wonderfully underneath car seats. They are also magnetic, and can be used to play games or practice spelling.”

6. Parental Overload. Think back to the last school year. How did you feel? Did you feel like a hamster on a wheel-running in circles, doing it all, and never getting anywhere? That may be a sign that this is the year during which you back off just a bit. If you spent all your time rescuing your kids, then stop. Make this the year that they take ownership and stop relying on you as their savior. After all, homework, sports gear, and library books are your kids’ responsibilities, not yours. And if you are always there to bail them out, how can they ever learn to do these things for themselves?

If you felt like you spent last school year as the star of a one-man show, then this is the year to delegate. Research says that kids who do chores are more successful students and turn out to be more responsible adults. Whatever it was that kept your stress level high during the last school year; make a commitment to change it now.

“Too often we get so caught up in helping our kids that we lose sight of what’s best,” says Borba. “If we overload ourselves, we can’t be productive parents, and if we take the entire burden away from our kids, we’re robbing them of valuable lessons and life skills. If you find that you say ‘yes’ too easily, write ‘no’ on an index card and tape it to your phone. Anytime anyone asks you to take on one more task, say you’ll have to think about it first and call back. The stall time gives you time to think whether you really want to do what you’re being asked to. If you’re stressed out, hang a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign for a few minutes at the same time each night on your bedroom door, and institute a strict rule: no one may disturb you until you remove that sign. Remember: A happier, less-stressed parent turns makes for happier, less-stressed kids.”

Great advice, Borba!