What January asks of parents

JANUARY doesn’t ease its way into our homes - it announces itself. It arrives with lists, deadlines, alarms and that quiet panic that says, "Right, let’s get serious again".

The rat race has officially started again - traffic thickens, school WhatsApp groups come alive, and conversations shift from what’s left in the pot to what time do we need to leave? One minute the house is running on holiday time - late mornings, flexible meals and “we’ll sort it out later” - and the next, everyone needs to be somewhere, with something, at a specific time.

For parents, January is not a fresh start. It’s a regroup.

Many households are juggling more than one transition at once. Some children are starting school for the first time, others are stepping into high school, and some are facing Grade 12, suddenly aware that their schooling journey is nearing its end.

Some are preparing young adults for another year of university - all under the same roof. University brings a different kind of adjustment. Our children are technically adults - independent, capable, and finding their own rhythm. Until registration opens, accommodation needs confirming, or the Wi-Fi stops working. Suddenly, independence becomes a shared project again. There is pride in watching them grow, but also concern about pressure, mental health, finances, safety, and the quiet weight of expectation they carry - often without saying much at all.

Different stages, different pressures, and a shared responsibility to keep things steady while quietly working out how far January’s budget will stretch.

There’s also the comparison noise that rises this time of year - often from those watching from afar and commenting without context. Is that really a good school? How are they getting there? That lunchbox isn’t what I would have chosen. And for varsity students: Are they managing on their own? Why are they doing it that way? Shouldn’t they be checking in more regularly?

But this is not a one-size-fits-all journey, and we are not raising children in the 1980s. Parents are learning to shut out the noise and turn back to the child in front of them - protecting their space, their pace, and their mental wellbeing - understanding that success is personal, evolving, and no longer bound to a single, outdated definition.

So, we laugh. Because sometimes humour is the only thing that keeps us steady. We laugh about stationery that disappears before February, and about WhatsApp groups that multiply overnight. Laughter, in many homes, is how we release pressure.

But beneath the humour is something real. Parenting in this season is emotionally demanding. We are holding on and letting go at the same time - guiding without hovering, supporting without controlling, and trusting that the values we’ve quietly lived will show up when we’re not there to remind them. As my husband has taught me, we also have to allow our children the space to fall, trusting that strength is built in that experience, and knowing that our role is not to prevent every stumble, but to be steady and present when they reach out for support.

January reminds parents that we were never meant to control every outcome. It asks us to trust what we’ve taught, to trust who our children are becoming, and to accept that some lessons can’t be taught - only experienced.

In all of this, mental wellbeing matters deeply - for our children and for us as parents. The pressure to get everything right can be heavy. Slowing down, checking in, and giving ourselves some grace is not falling behind; it is essential.

As routines settle and timetables begin to make sense, parents everywhere pause - just long enough to breathe. Not because the work is finished, but because the rhythm of family life finds its footing again. We pack lunches, pay fees, repeat reminders, whisper quiet prayers, and keep going - never for applause, always with intention. A thank you is never needed.

Rubene Ramdas, with 25 years of professional experience, is passionate about women’s leadership, mentorship, and the steady, compassionate guidance young professionals need as they find their place in an ever-evolving world of work. Email [email protected]

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