Alison Curtis: the importance of an after-school routine

"Speaking to friends over the years, they have also said that at times their children find shifting gear from school to home life at the end of the day challenging."

Pic: Marc O'Sullivan

We talk a lot about the importance of morning time and bedtime routines but one part of the day that can cause problems around back-to-school for children is the transition from the busy classroom back to the household.

Certainly, when Joan was younger she could have meltdowns once we got home. They didn’t happen often, but when they did happen they hit in spells. It was a highly-charged situation, of both of us being exhausted and low in coping reserves.