Once your little boy/girl goes off to school, you may find that your "special talks" occur less frequently... You may become disheartened by the mere fact that your child now has new friends to share his daily stories with...

To prevent yourself from losing your mind and losing touch with your child when he/she goes to school full-time, try the following five exercises in communication.

1) Make it a point to ask your child about his/her day as soon as you see him/her after school. (Do not accept a "nothing" response - rephrase your question as many times as needed to get a "real" response: for example: What did you learn today? or What was the best part of your day today?)

2) Make it a priority to ask your child what they brought home in their backpack each day. (Do not pry too much but do make it your business to know what they have in their backpack every day...)

3) Get involved with your child's homework. Even if they're only in kindergarten or first grade, their teacher probably will send some type of homework home at least once a week, keep an eye out for this and then be an active participant in the completion of any homework.

4) Become a volunteer at your child's school. Almost every school, whether public or private, needs help - parent volunteers in many areas. Donate your time, your expertise, your knowledge, your love and compassion for children....

5) If you cannot volunteer your time and get to know your child's classmates, give something of yourself in some other way that will keep you involved in your child's life. Any type of effort/interaction on your part with their teacher will bring satisfaction and reward to you and your child.

The bottom line is simple. Just because your child is now in school seven or eight hours a day - does not mean he/she does not STILL need you and/or that you cannot continue to be an active part of their daily life.

Danielle Hollister

Danielle Hollister is a single mom of a seven year-old son, who is her personal assistant in their home office, where she has been working as a freelance writer, editor and researcher for more than 10 years. Danielle?s work has been featured in online newsletters, like Briefme.com's Books & Literature ezine, on various websites, and in print publications. Before expanding her career focus to the Internet, she worked for more than three years as a freelance reporter for The Patriot-News, the only daily newspaper in her hometown of Harrisburg, which is the Capitol of Pennsylvania. She also spent two years as the assistant writer to the Director of Public Relations at Penn State Harrisburg, after graduating with high honors from the University with a Bachelor's Degree in Humanitites/Communications. While in college, she worked part-time to pay for her education as a Special Events Coordinator for the Central PA Chapter of The National Multiple Sclerosis Society and as an Editorial Assistant for Stackpole Publishing in Harrisburg.