The week's best parenting advice: August 11, 2020

Taming feral kids, planning for back to school, and more

A child looks at a clock past 10 p.m. and a dark window.
(Image credit: Illustrated | iStock/BrianAJackson, iStock/Ilyabolotov)

1. How to tame 'feral' kids

The pandemic has disrupted everyone's schedule, and in many families, rules about everything from screen time to bed time went out the window. But as the school year approaches, one overwhelmed parent asked Slate's Care and Feeding column how they can possibly go about reintroducing structure to their "feral" kids? "Don't beat yourself up about the March–August slide into chaos," writes Slate's Nicole Cliffe. She suggests a frank conversation with school-age children about the upcoming schedule shift, so they know what's coming."The more you can proactively talk about getting ready for fall, the easier it will be on everyone," she writes. As for the screen time creep, start cutting it down now. But make sure to give them other activities to fill the void, because "children will naturally fill a vacuum with things you absolutely don't want, if left to do so."

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Jessica Hullinger

Jessica Hullinger is a writer and former deputy editor of The Week Digital. Originally from the American Midwest, she completed a degree in journalism at Indiana University Bloomington before relocating to New York City, where she pursued a career in media. After joining The Week as an intern in 2010, she served as the title’s audience development manager, senior editor and deputy editor, as well as a regular guest on “The Week Unwrapped” podcast. Her writing has featured in other publications including Popular Science, Fast Company, Fortune, and Self magazine, and she loves covering science and climate-related issues.