Parinaz Kharas - Confidence & Resilience for Kids

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞! 𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐧.

Because the lunch table isn't about food. It's about belonging. It's that daily, public, unavoidable moment where a child has to answer a question that no one is asking out loud: where do I fit?

And for children who are navigating a new school, a new class, or a shaky friendship group — that question can feel enormous.

Here's what I teach children about the lunch table and what I'd love you to share with yours before school starts.

First: the table you sit at in September is not your permanent assignment. Social groups at school are far more fluid than children believe, especially at the start of the year. Everyone is figuring it out.

Second: sitting somewhere is always better than hovering. The child who hesitates in the middle of the room is far more visible and far more vulnerable — than the one who just picks a spot and sits down, even imperfectly.

And third: one genuine question is more powerful than a perfect opening line. Not "can I sit here?" But "what are you having?" Or "did you see the assembly this morning?"
Something small. Real. Human.

It's not about being outgoing. It's about being willing to make one small move. That's all.

I'm Parinaz — a Confidence and Resilience Coach for children aged 6 to 14. I help children navigate the parts of school that nobody teaches you about.

Come and find me at coachparinaz.com, I'd love to connect. 🌿

𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞. 🌿

New backpacks. New routines. That particular energy where everyone is quietly figuring out where they fit — again.

For a lot of children, September isn't just times tables and reading lists. It's renegotiating their place in a room. Who they sit with. Who they laugh with. Whether the version of them that shows up this year gets to be a little braver than last year's.

This month I plan to focus on two things that come up in almost every session I run: how children find their people, and how they talk to themselves before they do.

For every child going back to school this week and the next — this one is for them. 💚

Print it. Save it. Put it on their pillow tonight.

Because sometimes the most powerful thing isn't advice or preparation or pep talks.

It's just someone telling them, simply and clearly: I believe in you. And the scared feeling? That just means you're human. It doesn't mean you can't do this.

🌿 Tag a parent whose child needs to read this tonight.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 — 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤.

Not because the wrong words will break them. But because the right words give them something to hold onto when the day gets wobbly.

So let me share what I suggest and what I'd gently encourage you to avoid.

First, what to avoid. 'I hope you make lots of friends today' — this puts enormous social pressure on a first morning.
'Just be yourself' — well-meaning, but meaningless to a child who isn't yet sure who that is.
And especially: 'Don't worry about it' — because they are worrying, and being told not to makes them feel like the worry is also wrong.

Here's what I'd suggest instead.

Something specific. Something true. Something that doesn't depend on how the day goes.

Try this: 'I know today might feel hard at some points. That's okay. Hard moments don't last all day. And whatever happens — I am so proud of you for going.'

Or this: 'You don't have to have a perfect day. You just have to show up. And you're already doing that.'

Or even simpler: 'I love you. I'll be here. You've got this.'

The goal isn't to take away the fear. It's to give them the sense that whatever happens, they have a safe place to come home to. And that is genuinely enough.

📌 Save this and come back to it in the first week of school.

Come and find me at coachparinaz.com. I'd love to connect with your family. 🌿