a back to school letter to my children

Mom and lifestyle blogger, Justine Young at Little Dove, shares a back to school letter for her kids.

Table of Contents

A few weeks ago I was shopping with all five little ones in tow. We were doing the annual trip to get some back to school shopping done. As we were filling our cart with great buys from Arizona brand and a.n.a. I was thinking about how quickly my kids are growing up. The fact that they will be starting another school year is mind boggling to me–where has the time gone? Am I teaching them the right things? With our limited time together, what would be the one thing that I would teach them if I could? This back to school letter is in collaboration with JC Penney. I want to thank JC Penney for this opportunity to share my thoughts at the beginning of a new school year. As always, all opinions are completely my own.

Mom and lifestyle blogger, Justine Young at Little Dove, shares a back to school letter for her kids.

a letter before you go back to school

Sweet kiddos,

You are growing up far too quickly. So quickly in fact that I feel like I can’t keep up. I can’t possible tell you everything that’s on my heart to tell you, or teach you everything that I want to teach you. So if there’s just one thing that I could help you to understand it’s this–you have the ability to choose. This might seem like a small thing in life, but our agency in life is our greatest gift. So everyday make the right choice.

Mom and lifestyle blogger, Justine Young at Little Dove, shares a back to school letter for her kids.
womens a.n.a. shirt | womens  a.n.a. jeans | backpack | boys  Arizona denim shirt

Choose kindness, always. There will always be someone who is sitting on the sidelines, always someone who is hoping for an outstretched hand. Be that friend. Smile more. Give compliments. Speak softly. Be helpful. Spread joy.

| Free Printables to Spread Random Acts of Kindness |

Choose your friends, don’t let them choose you. You can be such an influence on your peers but they can also be an influence on you. Don’t ever let them change the wonderful person you are.

Mom and lifestyle blogger, Justine Young at Little Dove, shares a back to school letter for her kids.
girls Arizona shirt | boys Arizona shirt

Choose the right in every situation, even (and especially) when no one is watching you. Your integrity is worth so much more than the world thinks. Walk tall with your head high knowing that you are doing what’s right, even if it’s the hard or unpopular thing to do.

| Random Acts of Kindness to do with your Kids this School Year |

Choose to be different, to stand out, to be a little weird. You are destined for greatness, never forget that. Be the person that people look up to, not the person that follows the crowd because you’re so desperate to be part of it.

Mom and lifestyle blogger, Justine Young at Little Dove, shares a back to school letter for her kids.
backpack | girls Arizona shirt | boys Arizona denim shirt

Our lives are full of choices and we can either go with the flow and drift through life because it’s easy, or we can actually take a stand and be individuals who make a difference. That difference may seem small, but if you’ve made a difference in the life of one person, that’s all that matters. Our choices are like ripples and they create such a wider effect than we see initially. So choose. Choose a life that you’ve made spectacular simply by being and staying true to you.

Love, your mom

Mom and lifestyle blogger, Justine Young at Little Dove, shares a back to school letter for her kids.
boys Arizona jeans | boys Nike shoes | girls Arizona pants | girls Nike shoes
Have y’all done your back to school shopping yet?

Perusing the aisles of JC Penney for all our back to school styles brought back some fun memories of shopping with my own mom when I was growing up and all the lessons that my parents taught me. Part of teaching my kids to choose is letting them choose their own clothes and I think they did a great job! I love that my littles picked out some items from Arizona, I remember wearing them when I was younger! Be sure to check out JC Penney’s back to school shop and all the deals they’re offering.

The photography in this post was provided by the wonderful Shelby Mousley Photography. If you are in Northern California or surrounding regions I highly recommend her.
Website | Instagram

14 Responses to a back to school letter to my children

  1. Tanvi Rastogi August 13, 2018 at 1:06 pm #

    How sweet! This is such a wonderful idea. Love the message about choice. So wise!

    ❥ tanvii.com

  2. Kippi August 13, 2018 at 7:42 pm #

    Sweet time of Mom’s life! Have a happy school year!

  3. Jessica Briggs August 13, 2018 at 8:49 pm #

    Beautifully said, such great wisdom! Love the outfits, love JC Penney! Beautiful pictures!

  4. Cristina - Memories of the Pacific August 14, 2018 at 11:52 am #

    What a sweet letter and lovely photos 🙂

  5. Jersey Girl Cooks August 14, 2018 at 1:23 pm #

    I love this so much! Great tips and words for kids!

  6. Kayla G August 14, 2018 at 3:44 pm #

    These pictures are SO CUTE!

  7. Jereann August 14, 2018 at 6:56 pm #

    Such great advice and just in time for back to school this week!

  8. Sarah Hock August 14, 2018 at 7:51 pm #

    What great advise to give your kids! How very inspiring to write a letter like this to our kids as they go back to school.
    Also, they did such a good job picking out their clothes!

  9. Amber Battishill August 15, 2018 at 5:01 am #

    Loved this sweet letter and so much great advice. JC Penney is the best for getting some great deals! I always shopped there with my mom and am now doing it with my own kids.

  10. Amanda Martin August 15, 2018 at 5:52 am #

    Beautifully written! And these photos are great. Wishing your kids a great year ahead!

  11. Cassie @ Getyourholidayon.com August 15, 2018 at 7:05 am #

    This is so sweet! I love the photos! I hope your kids have a wonderful school year too! 🙂

  12. Julie August 15, 2018 at 12:42 pm #

    Such a great letter! Time goes WAY too fast and I can’t keep up either. I agree too that kindness is key. Have a great z hook year!

  13. Vicki Young August 16, 2018 at 5:54 am #

    Everyone above is right. Wonderful Letter – Wonderful Pictures – and I have always loved shopping at JC Penney!!

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