Parenting Poll: Should You Carry Your Kid's Backpack?

I went to Catholic school for twelve years, so had to find any way to add flair and personality to our uniforms that we could. I was pretty limited to my glasses frames, shoes, and of course – my backpack.

Choosing a backpack wasn’t just about function but also form. This would be the one primary identifying factor for the next school year. And every time I packed my own school lunch, carefully placed my items for each day into the pack, then swung it around my shoulders, I felt very grown-up!

So imagine my surprise when I had to ease my own kids into carrying their backpacks. Now, when we moved here, the school bus was a whole new experience. They only used to have to carry their backpack from the car to their classroom door. And the older they get the heavier their bag gets. It’s been debated for years how much weight should be placed in a backpack a kid carries, and entire industries were built on the ergonomics of packs for activities including just getting to school.

This topic came up again when a friend said her next-door neighbor always carried her kid’s backpack and she’d never seen the kid wearing it at all. Is that a normal practice? Thinking to our family, our ayi always carries it for them and I try to get them out of that habit. I’ve stopped forcing the independence I felt onto my own kids, however, since for them it might not feel that way. No need to overthink yet one more part of parenting. I made it clear after a couple of weeks of school that I was not their pack mule, and they needed to carry their own bag before school. If they are tired after school and want some help from their Mom to get home, it isn’t a big deal. They’ve carried it all day and been in charge of their own items to a certain extent.

I’m sure soon enough they’ll sling their new pack onto their back and walk off with their friends, barely giving me a glance goodbye. Until then, I’ll help them carry it a little longer.

How do you feel about it? Scan the QR code to share your thoughts.