Here’s some interesting news: the Duchess of Sussex is giving exclusives to People Magazine, and this week’s exclusive is advice for back-to-school for little ones. When I was growing up, schools usually didn’t start until after Labor Day, but in my area right now, public schools have already been back in session for more than a week. I hate that, when the school year starts in August. That f–king sucks for kids. Anyway, I’m sure most parents are dealing with back-to-school drama this week, so Meghan is giving some very kind parenting advice.
Leave your kids a note: “Scribble something for your little one and tuck it in their lunchbox — a joke, a little poem, your own version of Mad Libs, or just a sentence telling your child what your favorite thing about them is or how much you love them. Who doesn’t appreciate being thought of?” says Meghan, who previously worked as a calligrapher before her starring role on Suits. “And that validation from a parent when they’re going back into school may be just the boost your child needs, whether in pre-K or as a teen,” she continues. “If it’s in your handwriting, even better. Just take one minute to do it; it can go such a long way!”
Put a small treat or gift in their backpack: “Nestle a sweet something (not suggesting candy) into their backpack on the first Friday back to school,” the Duchess of Sussex suggests. “The first week can have a lot of big feelings, and a little nod to let them know you see them is so special. Try a tiny pack of stickers, a funny photo of your family, or an unexpected surprise like something you used to find in a Cracker Jack box. It doesn’t have to cost much at all, just a little trinket to celebrate the first week, tucked in as a surprise,” she says. “Love is in the details.”
Packing lunchboxes: “If your kids are like mine, they love ‘breakfast for dinner,’ just as I did when I was young,” Meghan says about one of her go-tos for Archie and Lilibet. “Swap out a sandwich for waffles or pancakes (you can use the frozen ones), a mini packet or scoop of jam, some bacon, and hard-boiled eggs with salt. “You can have fun with this and decorate the lunchboxes in unique ways every day, but if there’s no time, just the novelty of breakfast for lunch can sometimes be a welcome win!” The Duchess of Sussex adds, “And when in doubt, a few flower sprinkles are fun too!” she adds, referencing one of her signature products from her lifestyle brand, As ever.
Rose and thorn: “It’s a classic, but sometimes we forget about this easy prompt. Taking the time at the end of the day to connect as a family and talk about your ‘rose’ and ‘thorn’ at dinner can be a wonderful way to bring everyone closer. You can even do this on the car ride home after the school day is over,” Meghan says. “Your rose is a highlight of your day, and your thorn is something that maybe didn’t feel so good or that hurt a little bit. Sharing both is a great opportunity to talk about your days together. It’s also better than the one-word answer you can get if you just ask, ‘How was your day?’ (Though, truth be told, our children have now started saying, ‘My day was just a blast!’ and that makes us smile to no end!).”
It’s this kind of thing which makes me feel like I was raised by wolves! No, I just had typical parents for my generation, plus my father was an immigrant who really had no understanding of American school culture. The idea of my mom hiding a small surprise gift in my bag… lol, that never would have happened. But yeah, Meghan’s advice is typical of parents of her generation. It’s good advice for small kids, although I wonder how breakfast-for-lunch will go over in the school cafeteria.
Also: you know how Meghan posted photos of her kids while avoiding showing their faces? That continues to be the best call, because the British media tracked down Archie’s soccer camp from the shirt he wore in one of those photos. That’s one way to get William to speak to Harry – Harry’s about to get an angry call, with someone rage-shrieking “football is MINE, Harold!”
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Meghan’s IG.
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- Dusseldorf, GERMANY – Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex visit Sitting Volleyball on day 6 of Invictus Games 2023 at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf. Pictured: Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex BACKGRID USA 15 SEPTEMBER 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
I remember breakfast for dinner being the most exciting thing ever for me as a kid, even though it’s still the same food LOL. I don’t know how that would hold out for lunch. I’m just imagining cold eggs and soggy pancakes, but I guess you can make it work. Also, schools may have different stuff now than they did in the early 90s for lunches and prep.
I sincerely hope that Archie doesn’t go to that school or doesn’t any longer because the paparazzi will be stalking it now. How insane. Zooming in on clothes worn in photos to track down the school and then publicize it. And people yesterday were wondering why they don’t show their kids faces? At this point I wouldn’t be shocked if they didn’t show any pictures of their kids at all anymore.
People know EXACTLY why, I don’t even entertain those ingenious questions anymore.
Honestly this was the first thing I thought of when I saw the picture of Archie in that shirt — someone was going to track it down. Loathsome.
They tracked him down surfing in Carpinteria without even needing a picture of a shirt so they’re gonna stalk no matter what. Ghoulish behavior. The sussexes seem to have a pretty tight and protective circle in Montecito though.
I think you’d just have to have the syrup in a separate container. Breakfast for lunch does sound good to me. But I’m an egg and bacon person so wrap up a breakfast biscuit type thing for me and I’d be pretty happy.
I packed breakfast for lunch for my kids often when they were in school and I would do exactly that by packing syrup or jam in a separate container for them. I would vary what I made for them from breakfast sandwiches on toast or biscuits where I would separate all of the items and they could easily build their lunch or just eat it separately. They enjoyed it and I enjoyed their acknowledgment of how it made them feel. I honestly have to say that now that they are adults, I miss those little opportunities of packing their lunches with little extra signs of love. Fortunately, our talks to and from school have led to us having very close and loving talks now because it is something that we formed together as they grew up.
You can buy the “to go” syrup packets in the store (like the mustard, mayo, and ketchup packets). That would be the easiest way without having to use an extra container. Less for them to keep track of when at school. I’m 60 and my mom used to put notes in my lunch through High School. Usually in the bag with the sandwich. Some of my friends poked fun of it, but I didn’t even blink. It was a nice way to get some encouraging words in the middle of the day.
It’s California, you can’t take pictures of kids and publish them without written consent—even the back of their heads. Harry and Meghan are smart. I think she was plugging the school, but her kids don’t go there anymore. But people are about to sign up their kids, assuming they do. LOL
I’m also from California and that isn’t how the law goes. It is legal to photograph or film (and publish) any individual person in the public sphere. No one, not even children, have any right of expectation of privacy in a public space. That’s directly from the US Supreme Court. Photographing someone anywhere your eyes can see in public is perfectly legal. We do, however have newer laws governing children of celebrities and public figures under the age of 16, deeming it an act of harassment to photograph those children (but not yours or mine or non famous peoples). They define harassment as : Willful conduct that “seriously alarms, annoys, torments, or terrorizes the child” without a legitimate purpose. It is a law that was written after Halle Berry and Jennifer Garner spoke to California Legislature about how traumatizing it was for their children to be ambushed by the paparazzi. And only their children. If anyone gets a snapshot of Hand M’s kids in public in a non invasive manner they are free to do what they want with it. Except to use it as advertising. That would be the only thing to require permission to publish.
Huh. That’s kind of messed up that the law doesn’t include all kids. I do get why celebrities’ kids are more likely to be targeted but still why not all.
Their stalking is crazy. Poor Archie.
I love Meghan’s natural hair. Poofy and curley. Wish she would wear her hair that way, at least some times.
I would actually love to see that sometime. Her hair is gorgeous. I might love her updo ponytails best.
People without hair like that always say things like this and it annoys me to no end. One of my goddaughters has naturally thick curly hair like Meghan’s and let me tell you, it is slow and painstaking (and painful) work to get even a wide-toothed comb through it at times. It is not comfortable for the child or the person doing the combing and brushing, even with copious amounts of softening or moisturising products. Sometimes there are tears. That is one of the main reasons that people with similar hair straighten or lighten it. It makes the hair more manageable and less time-consuming to manage.
Even Meghan discussed that on her Archetypes podcast (I think it was the one with Mariah Carey), where her grandmother(?) would say “just hold on to the sink”, as in, she literally had to brace herself for the experience of having her hair brushed or combed. She has children, she has several businesses, she is busy. And she clearly wears her hair “more natural” when she is on holiday or on her downtime. Why would people be wishing that she makes regular public appearances with her natural “poofey and curley” hair, when there are many photographs of her hair like that which can be admired at any time – including a very recent one of her cradling Lili on a boat?
I find that people who straighten their hair tend to embrace going natural year-round when they are older and less busy, because they can then devote more time to it.
I never did flower sprinkles. Lol. I used to do notes, but not now. Maybe they’d still love that. A silly one I do is fold the 🧻 like they do in hotels once in awhile. They giggle.
See I just assumed that Archie teeshirt was one of those you could buy from h and m or the children place . You know , just a teeshirt with a soccer theme . The fact that these looney tunes are stalking a child soccer team is next level crazy . These British tabloids need a restraining order. This is not okay on any level. It puts so many children, yes children in harms way . I don’t know how Harry and Meghan deal with this level of crazy from these bat shit crazy stalkers . I would go ballistic and I am a no body . I pray for Archie and lily safety daily because those children deserve to be just that , children.
As much as it seems we are going backwards in rights for everyone except white cis men, i have noticed a change in parent/kid relationships.
As gen x- we tolerated our parents. and they were annoyed by our crappy attitudes.
The people i know now who have teens- have great relationships with the teens, think their teens are funny and delightful.
Again, far from scientific, just something i noticed.
My parents were far better parents than their parents were to them.
It seems all that communication makes for better relationships.
Obv, again, this is not a blanket generalization, but it is nice to see evolution in little pieces.
I have a 15 year old boy and I do not find him funny or delightful quite often. But I’m a Gen X parent so maybe that’s why. I do see a lot of permissive parenting from the younger parents.
I appreciate her sharing this with other moms or dads because it’s something that I as a mom did throughout my children’s time in school. The little surprises and notes to let them know that they are loved even in the smallest of ways goes so far for them and your relationship and bond with them. My children are adults now but there have been so many times when they have spoke about how those little expressions of love and me thinking of them made their day more special. The same with little holiday or birthday treats or surprises that go beyond just that day. Cherish the moments we have with our children because it helps to develop loving and more empathetic people as they get older. Even now as adults we still have this amazing relationship where we are able to speak openly about whatever we are feeling and that starts from their childhood.
As far as the racist royal family, UK media and derangers, their obsession with needing to see her children’s faces and stalking where their children might go to school or anywhere else says something about how their racism makes them comfortable with endangering these biracial children even when they know there are threats against them and their parents. There is nothing lower than these racist people.
Meghan is such a millennial mom, I love it. These are all things I’ve done for my kids for years and they loved it (my oldest is a freshman in college so he’s not at home anymore).
Also any lunch you want to send anymore is easy with all the containers and options. Hard boiled eggs are something my kids always enjoyed. And I learned my kids like cold/room temp food too. Meg strikes me as a bento box mom (takes one to know one! My youngest is 14 and gets a fun fancy lunch every day still).
I am decidedly NOT a Bento mom, and yes, our dear Meg is definitely a Bento mom! 😊
I remember doing the rose and thorn version with my step daughter. Sometimes putting a candy in one of the compartments of her lunch bag. The first time she found it, it was a week later. The look on her face when she told me she found the candy was priceless.
The thing about the soccer camp: I *knew* that those stalkers would immediately hunt down the origins of that t-shirt the moment I saw it, and I actually found myself hoping yesterday that it had been a gift from a UK club. Hopefully nothing terrible will come of it, and snooping reporters and derangers will be sent packing.
Cute advice throughout though, and I like the idea of the Rose and Thorn very much.
I was surprised to see that a picture of Archie wearing the soccer camp logo was allowed. It could have been covered. Archie is obviously living a very normal life. His parents send him to sports camps and probably soccer and surfing aren’t the only ones. The sports camp sounds like it’s a pretty tight ship. I’m sure they are able to handle lurkers and stalkers. Archie has obviously attended the camp, and no one has put out any pictures of him until Meghan posted the picture. And my goodness, Lili girl sure loves pink! She just radiates self-confidence.
I’m wondering if this piece is going to branch out into something bigger in the future. I hope so. In her Curcuit interview she spoke about As Ever being set aside for something else before deciding to use it for her business.
Wait….she referenced the car ride home from school. Doesn’t she know that the school run is all William’s? Even on a whole other continent how dare she!
My father left notes for us on the dining table to wake up to. I kept most of them and was so thankful I did after he died.
I always put notes in my kids’ lunches. They loved them.
Meghan is such a sweetheart.