Ten Years as a School Mum...
Ten Years a School Mum: Holding My Kids’ Hearts Through It All
This year marks ten years of me being a school mum.
My eldest walked into Prep in 2016, oversized uniform, backpack nearly bigger than her body. My youngest followed her the year after in 2017, small, sensitive, and so much younger than his confidence let on. Back then, I had no idea just how much emotional ground we would cover as a family over the next decade.
Because raising school-aged kids isn’t just about lunches, uniforms and homework.
It’s about holding their hearts while they learn how to exist in the world.
The Early Years: When Letting Go Hurts More Than Staying
When my youngest started Prep at just four years old, I was told he was ready. That he needed more stimulation than daycare could offer. That academically, he’d be fine.
What no one prepared me for was the separation anxiety.
I still remember those mornings so vividly.
The tight chest.
The forced smile.
His tears clinging to me as I peeled myself away.
I’d walk out of the classroom holding it together — and then completely fall apart once I reached the safety of my car.
In hindsight, I wish I’d kept him back a year. I wish I’d trusted my gut over the advice. But parenting has a way of teaching us lessons after the moment has passed.
My Eldest: Clever, Capable… and Quietly Struggling
My daughter’s school journey has been layered and complex.
Low confidence.
Friendship group rejection.
Always feeling like she didn’t quite fit.
She wasn’t diagnosed with ADHD until Year 5, and later with autism at the end of Year 8. Like so many high-functioning girls, she was bright, capable, achieving good grades — and exceptionally good at masking.
Mimicking.
Adapting.
Shapeshifting to survive socially.
From the outside, she looked “fine”.
On the inside, she was exhausted.
Masking might help kids get through the day, but it comes at a cost — confusion, isolation, and never feeling free enough to fully be yourself. Watching that as a mum is heartbreaking, especially when you can’t fix it… only support it.
The Middle Years: Change, Transitions and Staying the Course
School is rarely a straight line.
There were school changes due to moving house before Year 1. Later, a big decision to move my daughter from her first high school when it became clear it wasn’t the right fit. Choosing a new high school after getting through Year 7 felt scary — but necessary.
My son faced his own challenges starting an all-boys high school in Year 5. He’s always liked the school itself — just not the expectation of sitting still in a classroom all day.
Different kids.
Different struggles.
Same underlying need: emotional safety.
As parents, we’re constantly recalibrating — asking Is this still working? Do we need to pivot? What does this child need now?
What I’ve Learned After Ten Years
That there is no “easy” school journey — only different versions of hard.
That resilience doesn’t come from pushing kids through — it comes from supporting them through.
That emotional regulation, confidence and self-trust matter just as much as academic success.
And that kids don’t need us to have all the answers — they need us to be steady.
Why I Created the School Pack
Over the last ten years, I’ve leaned heavily on gentle emotional support — not to change my kids, but to help them process what they were feeling.
The School Pack blends were born directly from our lived experience:
-
Supporting confidence when it was fragile
-
Helping calm nervous systems overwhelmed by the school day
-
Easing big emotions without shutting them down
I didn’t create this pack as a product first.
I created it as a mum, trying to help her kids navigate a world that often asks too much of them.
If You’re in It Right Now…
If you’re in the thick of school drop-offs, social struggles, classroom overwhelm or emotional meltdowns after holding it together all day — please know this:
You’re not failing.
Your child isn’t broken.
And this stage won’t last forever.
Ten years in, I can see now that every hard season taught us something — about patience, advocacy, compassion and trust.
School motherhood has stretched me in ways I never expected.
But it has also taught me how powerful steady, loving support can be — especially when kids are still learning who they are.
And if nothing else, I hope this reminds you that you’re not alone in it.
Not now. Not ever.
Yours in health,
Alisha 💛
Ten Years as a School Mum...
Ten Years a School Mum: Holding My Kids’ Hearts Through It All
This year marks ten years of me being a school mum.
My eldest walked into Prep in 2016, oversized uniform, backpack nearly bigger than her body. My youngest followed her the year after in 2017, small, sensitive, and so much younger than his confidence let on. Back then, I had no idea just how much emotional ground we would cover as a family over the next decade.
Because raising school-aged kids isn’t just about lunches, uniforms and homework.
It’s about holding their hearts while they learn how to exist in the world.
The Early Years: When Letting Go Hurts More Than Staying
When my youngest started Prep at just four years old, I was told he was ready. That he needed more stimulation than daycare could offer. That academically, he’d be fine.
What no one prepared me for was the separation anxiety.
I still remember those mornings so vividly.
The tight chest.
The forced smile.
His tears clinging to me as I peeled myself away.
I’d walk out of the classroom holding it together — and then completely fall apart once I reached the safety of my car.
In hindsight, I wish I’d kept him back a year. I wish I’d trusted my gut over the advice. But parenting has a way of teaching us lessons after the moment has passed.
My Eldest: Clever, Capable… and Quietly Struggling
My daughter’s school journey has been layered and complex.
Low confidence.
Friendship group rejection.
Always feeling like she didn’t quite fit.
She wasn’t diagnosed with ADHD until Year 5, and later with autism at the end of Year 8. Like so many high-functioning girls, she was bright, capable, achieving good grades — and exceptionally good at masking.
Mimicking.
Adapting.
Shapeshifting to survive socially.
From the outside, she looked “fine”.
On the inside, she was exhausted.
Masking might help kids get through the day, but it comes at a cost — confusion, isolation, and never feeling free enough to fully be yourself. Watching that as a mum is heartbreaking, especially when you can’t fix it… only support it.
The Middle Years: Change, Transitions and Staying the Course
School is rarely a straight line.
There were school changes due to moving house before Year 1. Later, a big decision to move my daughter from her first high school when it became clear it wasn’t the right fit. Choosing a new high school after getting through Year 7 felt scary — but necessary.
My son faced his own challenges starting an all-boys high school in Year 5. He’s always liked the school itself — just not the expectation of sitting still in a classroom all day.
Different kids.
Different struggles.
Same underlying need: emotional safety.
As parents, we’re constantly recalibrating — asking Is this still working? Do we need to pivot? What does this child need now?
What I’ve Learned After Ten Years
That there is no “easy” school journey — only different versions of hard.
That resilience doesn’t come from pushing kids through — it comes from supporting them through.
That emotional regulation, confidence and self-trust matter just as much as academic success.
And that kids don’t need us to have all the answers — they need us to be steady.
Why I Created the School Pack
Over the last ten years, I’ve leaned heavily on gentle emotional support — not to change my kids, but to help them process what they were feeling.
The School Pack blends were born directly from our lived experience:
-
Supporting confidence when it was fragile
-
Helping calm nervous systems overwhelmed by the school day
-
Easing big emotions without shutting them down
I didn’t create this pack as a product first.
I created it as a mum, trying to help her kids navigate a world that often asks too much of them.
If You’re in It Right Now…
If you’re in the thick of school drop-offs, social struggles, classroom overwhelm or emotional meltdowns after holding it together all day — please know this:
You’re not failing.
Your child isn’t broken.
And this stage won’t last forever.
Ten years in, I can see now that every hard season taught us something — about patience, advocacy, compassion and trust.
School motherhood has stretched me in ways I never expected.
But it has also taught me how powerful steady, loving support can be — especially when kids are still learning who they are.
And if nothing else, I hope this reminds you that you’re not alone in it.
Not now. Not ever.
Yours in health,
Alisha 💛
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