This week heralds the start of a brand new school year for us. My daughter has moved up into Year 1, and her younger sister returns for her second year at preschool. The school run has proved to be rather a tumultuous experience for me. Being an Empath, I face the daily challenge of not being sucked in to other people’s emotional drama. I feel things very deeply. If I see somebody crying, even on the TV, I will often well up with tears myself.

I never considered the impact of my children being at school. Obviously, when we embarked upon the journey twelve months ago, I was prepared. I cried openly, and my fellow new school mums and I gave ourselves the time to embrace our emotional state as we sent our babies out into the world. This year, however, I thought it would be easy. How very naive of me! For starters, I have friends with children who are starting school this week, and so I feel their emotion and cry their tears. And then I realised that my own babies are still growing up, and each new school year will bring new emotional upheaval. It is normal. It will happen.

As we welcome the first weekend of the new school year, I have a message for all my parent friends, wherever you may be: It is OK to cry. It is healthy to be emotional. Whether this is your first child going to school, or your fifth child moving on, embrace the feelings that you experience. We are human. This is how we survive. Much love, lots of laughs, and happy new school year, my friends!

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