‘The definitive list of 6 things I’ll be doing differently this school year, as a mum of 3 kids.'

I was convinced that having kids young (I was 21 when my eldest was born) would mean I’m still in touch and able to relate as they reach high school and beyond.      

While to some extent it’s true — after all, I came of age in the age of online connectivity, although it was more MSN Messenger and MySpace than TikTok and Snapchat — my daughter starting high school last year was... a huge reality check. 

Going from the ease and safety of a small, local primary school within walking distance, now to a city high school, which she would have to get herself to and from was daunting. Her dad and I are so incredibly proud and impressed with the way she showed incredible independence, either cycling or catching the bus in each day (after a few practice runs with a parent). 

Image: Supplied.

I’d have to say it was a pretty successful first year of high school — even if it was 2021 with all it entailed — but as the first in my social circle to send a kid to high school, I was definitely caught out by a few things. So, in the spirit of having other parents’ backs, here are a few of the lessons I learnt and the things I’ll be doing differently this year as they head back to school. 

1. Get (and I cannot stress this enough) the right phone.

I’m nowhere near the realm of being a helicopter parent, but of course you want to know that your child has made it school safely. 

I know a lot of parents are wary of kids having smart phones too young, and I completely understand concerns with access to social media and all it entails. For our situation, it was a must (and said kid was high-key thrilled too!). 

I have recently upgraded my older iPhone, so I figured we’d just bung a SIM card in my old one and it would be fine.

Unfortunately, about three days into school, the phone died, leaving her with no way to contact us. We looked at the cheapest phones on the market (hey, the start of the school year is expensive!), but they just didn’t cut the mustard in terms of capabilities, and we’d rather just get it right the first time (or second time, as it would be in our case). 

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Given my ex-husband and I both have our phones on one account with Optus (we just never bothered separating them because it’s so convenient), I jumped into a live chat with a representative (yes, I’m a millennial who doesn’t like to make actual phone calls and I will forever love companies that understand this) to discuss our options. 

The lovely chap on the other end told me about Optus’ Family Mobile Plan, which bundles four SIMs into one plan.

The real icing on the cake for us is that it includes a massive 200GB of monthly data to share— that’s basically a lot of YouTube, TikTok and Roblox in the car for us! 

One of the best features for our household though, is that the plan includes access to Optus’ cyber education hub and a subscription to the McAfee Safe Family App at no extra cost (it's usually $8.99 each month) — actually a godsend for parents a bit anxious about how to keep their kids safe online (read: all of us), with their first phone in their hot little hands. 

So, I signed up, and added a new handset to our existing plan, which arrived in record time. 

I was really impressed with the service I received via the online chat — not only did they tee me up with a package that saved money on our existing services, but knowing the new phone and SIM were for a 12-year-old, they also went to the effort of connecting it to a number that would be easy for her to remember. 

The key takeaway: by bundling your family’s devices together (one bill!) and knowing you have the tools to help them learn safe online habits — and monitor their progress — is one way to take the mental load off.

Optus is your one-stop-shop for that, but you’re on your own this school with the lost hats and lunchboxes (I’d recommend just buying 50 of each in bulk).

2. Yep, I said it. Adding tracking on your child’s phone.

Yes, I’m stalking my kid. Not because I don’t trust her, but for safety, and she knows this. In the interest of fairness, she can also stalk me. 

There are plenty of ways to do it, but the McAfee Safe Family App included in our Optus plan allows location tracking as well as many other functions like managing screen time (yes, I can see you’re still on the phone at 11pm…) and blocking certain websites and apps. 

If you’re an Apple user, in the past we've really liked the Find My iPhone app because we can track all our Apple devices including Apple Watches, laptops, AirPods and iPads (in case you haven’t guessed, we’re rather large loyals to the brand). 

We all have location sharing enabled, allowing us all to see where the others in the family are. So, the McAfee Safe Family App is right up our alley in 2022.

Image: Supplied.

My personal hack: If you can’t be bothered going out to get milk, jump in and see if anyone is close to the shops!

It’s great for my peace of mind — I can have a quick look from work to see if my daughter has arrived at school — and has been worth its weight in gold on several occasions. 

Once, I got a panicked call from my daughter to say she missed her bus stop and didn’t know where she was. Being able to see where she was, and instruct her to hop off the bus and cross the road to the inbound bus stop. 

With her on FaceTime, I asked if anyone was at the stop for her to ask whether the coming bus stops near her school. 

There was only a young man present, and she was too nervous to ask, so I was able to ask him myself via the phone.

In the end, she made it safely to school without me having to leave work to rescue her — a testament to the power of technology.

3. Get protection.

No, not that kind of protection (but I still endorse it!). What I actually mean is: kids (and adults) can be clumsy, and getting new screens fitted to devices is wildly expensive. 

The tablet has also become such a valuable tool for learning, that I hate to think of that development being interrupted while we wait for its screen to be resuscitated. 

Trust me, I learnt this the hard way. 

I highly recommend getting both a fitted screen protector and a bumper case for all devices, both phone and tablet (and smart watch if it’s in the picture). 

It will save you time, money and angst, and spare you the hard chat with your kid who didn’t mean to drop their screen. 

Image: Supplied.

4. Set some boundaries.

Humble brag moment: I’m blessed with a teenager who is respectful, sticks within our home's boundaries to a fault and a good self-regulator. But even the most angelic teen is no match for the endless scrolling of TikTok, Insta and group chats, so making sure you have clear boundaries in place, like a wind-down time during the evenings where devices go away, ready for sleep. 

If you need to, you can use the Safe Family App to ensure this happens, but I’d advise talking to your teen about why you’re doing it (in our case, because the chats often caused some anxiety before bed and late nights equalled cranky kid) and where you can, lead by example in doing it yourself. I've started doing this with the New Year and my body and brain are thanking me for it.

5. Embrace this marvellous age of technology.

We’re constantly hearing about the pitfalls of technology and constant connectivity, especially when it comes to kids, but when you boil it down these devices are an incredible asset. 

No one can deny the development that has occurred in our kids because of the tablet in their little hands. From educational apps to videos, my kids have learned a heck of a lot from their devices.

I’ve found a new way to communicate with a teen who sometimes doesn’t want to talk — it can be so much easier sometimes to say something difficult, embarrassing, or confusing in a text message, and it also gives you, the parent, time to consider your response. 

They can also stay connected to their friends, family and peers easily, which really showed its value for us last year when we weren't physically with our community of people.

My daughter really felt the strain of being in lockdown, but was able to reach out to both the school guidance counsellor for support, and to join one of her classes via Zoom and feel a part of it — all from her tablet!

Image: Supplied.

6. Enjoy waving goodbye on that first day of school.

A short (but important) thing we're planning on doing differently this term — and with any luck, the whole of 2022 — and that is, waving them into the school gates instead of relentless juggle of remote learning.

Hopefully you’ve been able to learn from my own mistakes, and can arm yourself for a less chaotic back-to-school launch and a smooth(er) 2022. 

So long kiddos. Loved having you home for the holidays (and before this, many aspects of remote learning), but love to see you on your merry way!

Image: Supplied.

Optus has you covered for all your Back to School needs. With a great range of mobile phones, tablets and plans developed with families in mind, Optus has everything you need to get your family school ready.

Feature Image: Supplied/Mamamia.