“Back-to-School Night” doesn’t just bring classroom tours, new teachers, and stacks of syllabi. For parents, it stirs a storm of emotions: joy, hope, and pride — mixed with worry, uncertainty, and a dash of fear. As both a parent and an educator, I’ve felt all of it. And I’ve learned this truth: when our child struggles, we struggle too.

We feel it in our bones. It’s why people say, “We’re only as happy as our least happy child.” But here’s the paradox. While our instinct to rush in and fix everything comes from love, it can actually rob our kids of what they need most — resilience. Every year brings stumbles: a failed test, a skinned knee, getting cut from the team, or a friendship that fractures. These are not signs of failure. They are part of adolescence.

Writer and director John Hug

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