My back-to-school wish list (no glue sticks required)

Hey friend,

My kids have been back at school for a little over a month now, which in back-to-school time feels like roughly a decade. The routines are (mostly) settling in, the backpack situation is under control-ish, and I finally had a quiet minute to think about what I actually want for this school year.

So here’s my wish list. None of it fits in a backpack.

Wish 1: AI literacy starts at home

Schools carry a lot, and this fall some big districts, including New York City and Los Angeles, have pulled back on AI in classrooms altogether. Meanwhile, most of what our kids do with AI happens on their own devices, far from school.

We already teach our kids how to cross the street and how to ride a bike, safely and responsibly. My wish is that more parents put figuring out AI together on that same list.

Wish 2: We talk about it early and often

Our kids are noticing AI everywhere. At home, at school, hanging out with friends, and alone with their devices. In my house, I’ve heard “Those clouds don’t look real, they look like AI made them” and “They probably used ChatGPT to write that text to me.” (Somewhere, a cumulus is very offended.)

Those comments are open doors. My wish is that we walk through them, even if we don’t have the answers yet and even if the technology feels completely foreign. Kids just need us in the conversation. And AI literacy sits inside a bigger skill set, digital literacy, that our kids are going to need for everything.

Wish 3: We let AI give us some time back

This one is personal. Here’s how I’ve been partnering with AI this season.

First, my tried-and-true parent-led, AI-assisted learning at home, using Gemini Notebook (the tool formerly known as NotebookLM, because apparently even AI tools need a rebrand). I load in what the teacher shares, and my daughter and I build study aids together.

Second, I set up a custom AI project that holds our whole school calendar, aftercare special hours, and sports schedules. Now I can ask it a quick question by voice and find out if there’s an early-release day, a day off, or a game that conflicts with something else. No more digging for the one PDF from August that had the answer.

Third, I’ve been finding ways to let AI run parts of my work in the background while I’m doing laundry, cooking, helping with homework, walking the dogs, and driving to practice (and practice, and practice). Those jobs aren’t going anywhere. So I’m handing off what I can, and spending that time being present with my family.

Wish 4: The headlines don’t get the last word

I’ll be honest. Some weeks I read the AI news and want to go full analog.

There’s scary stuff out there, and feeling afraid is completely valid. I feel it too. And we still have a responsibility to build AI literacy at home, whether our family uses AI or not. Our kids are going to run into it either way.

What helps me most is the ‘Circle of Control’ (a concept from Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People). When a headline sends me spiraling, I draw 2 circles. The big one holds everything I’m worried about: what AI companies build, what regulators decide, where all of this is headed. The small one holds what I can actually do something about.

That small circle has more in it than I expect. I control what I talk about with my kids. I control which AI tools we use, and which ones we skip. And I control how we build digital literacy at home, one dinner conversation at a time.

So I read the headline, I let myself feel it, and then I move to the small circle. That’s usually where I can do something before bedtime.

Try this (5 minutes)

Tonight, ask your kid one question:

Where have you noticed AI this week?

Then listen. Try not to correct anything yet. You might be surprised where they’ve spotted it.

I’d love your help

I just launched the PARENT-IN-THE-LOOP™ Jumpstart, a free resource for parents who want a place to start. It’s at https://jumpstart.likeamother.ai/

It’s brand new, so it definitely has rough edges I can’t see yet. Poke around and hit reply to tell me what worked and what confused you. Bonus points if you tell me what your kid said to that question.

Here’s to co-learning, co-creating & connecting with AI,

Julie | LIKEAMOTHER.AI®