End of term chaos? You’re not alone

I don’t know about you, but it’s been a tricky week here.

It’s that time of year, isn’t it? Coming towards the end of the summer term. Everyone’s tired. The weather’s heating up. Energy is running low – and the big transitions are looming.

Here, the anxiety has been building for weeks. But this week it really came to a head. My children are finding out which classes they’ll be in next year, which teachers they’ll have. And as you’d expect, it’s stirring up a lot.

For one of them, the worry is about the work getting harder. They’re already finding things tough, and now the thought of it all stepping up a level is triggering. The truth is, work itself is a demand – and that makes it feel impossible some days. This week we had some emotionally based school avoidance. They couldn’t go in. But they’ve managed to come through it. They’re well supported where they are, and they do like school – but we know capacity fluctuates. So we’re just taking it one day at a time and preparing to support them through this next bump.

Another is struggling too, though in a different way. For them it’s all about structure, predictability and familiarity. They know they’re getting a new teacher, and they’re already worrying about whether they’ll be understood, whether they’ll be accepted. They’ve bonded well with their current teacher, so the uncertainty has been tough. We’ve seen some school avoidance here too. Lots of nervous system overwhelm. Lots of reassurance needed. And we’re not rushing. We’ll give them whatever they need to get through this transition.

Because this time of year is hard. Transitions are big. Uncertainty is hard for all children – but when your child is neurodivergent, everything feels more intense. And that has a knock-on effect for us as parents too.

We’re juggling tired, dysregulated children. Timetables are upside down. There’s been sports days, summer fairs, end of year concerts and assemblies. All well-meaning, but all a disruption to routine. And when things don’t go as expected, it can spiral into overwhelm – especially with September changes just around the corner.

So if you’re feeling like it’s all a bit much right now, you’re not alone.

This is the part where we, the parents, end up absorbing the impact. Holding everyone together. Regulating everyone else. Keeping things calm and steady while paddling furiously underneath. It takes its toll.

You’re allowed to take the pressure off.

It’s okay if your house is a mess.

It’s okay if dinner has been whatever you could throw in the oven, or find in the freezer.

It’s okay if you’re not replying to texts or emails because your head’s full of reminders for end of term assemblies, which teacher you need to grab for a chat, or what time collection is this week.

It’s okay if you’re scraping through, one bit at a time.

You’re doing the best you can – and right now, that’s more than enough.