It is time to think about heading back to school. I am not quite sure where the summer went, but it is quickly winding down. As we begin to think about a new school year I would like to write about something that was recently been brought to my attention. Many parents and children are suffering from a common case of FOMO. Now some of you may know what FOMO is, while others, like me, had it brought to my attention rather recently.
FOMO stands for FEAR OF MISSING OUT.
In my opinion this new “disease” of FOMO is really becoming a major issue with families and children in our community. What, you may ask, does FOMO really mean? I firmly believe that we are creating in our children and families this idea that we “have to do everything” that all of our other neighbors and classmates are doing. We can’t be “left out” of anything. We need to make sure our children are involved in swimming, football, gymnastics, scouts, dance, tae kwon do, 4-H, and so on and so on. Now don’t get me wrong, being involved is great. All of the things mentioned offer so many amazing opportunities for children to grow and experience new things. They get to be part of something special as well as learn skills that allow them to be a better teammate. Many of these things provide a great sense of discipline and exercise, which is good for both mind and body.
So why not be involved in all of these things? I think the key word here is ALL. Children nowadays have a lot going on in their lives. But the most important things that should be going on in their lives is going to school and spending time with their family. We as teachers fight an ongoing day-to-day battle of students not turning in their school work, not studying for their spelling tests, not knowing their basic facts or reading at home for fun. Most of the time the response we hear from our students is “we don’t have enough time.” How sad that when a student is in elementary school, every minute of their “free time” is taken up with so many organized events and activities. But why? Do we enroll our children in these events because they are good for their mind and body, or do we enroll them because we are afraid of missing out? Will we be judged as a parent if we don’t involve our students in all of these things?
As the new school year is upon us, maybe we shouldn’t focus on missing out on things, but instead fully embracing those things that are right in front of us on a daily basis. Take some time to visit grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles (instead of making Grandpa and Grandma go to EVERY single game each weekend). Take some time each day to read, pray, paint, study spelling or do your math facts. Eat dinner as a family, take walks, play board games, go to church, spend some quality time together, instead of always in the car going from one thing to the next. You are the only one that can make FOMO a part of your family’s life. Trust me, it is OK to miss out on a thing here and there. Your child does not have to do everything all of the time.
Give them a break, let them be a kid.
Let’s make the school year 2018-19 the year we don’t let FOMO ruin our lives. Embrace and appreciate the wonderful things that touch your life each and every day: faith, family, friends and learning. Have a wonderful 2018-19 school year!
— Joe Peters is the principal at St. Victor School in Monroe. His column appears on the second Saturday of each month. He can be reached at joepeters@stvictormonroe.org.
