Finding Balance In The Busyness of Life
Finding balance in the busyness of life can be a real challenge – especially as the kids become more and more involved in activities.
Here’s a look at our families’ after-work and after-school schedule this week:
- Monday – (besides work and school) Isaac’s piano lesson, date night
- Tuesday – vet appointment for Irwin, Hannah’s talent show practice
- Wednesday – Isaac’s Boy Scout meeting, Leanne’s MOPS meeting, Hannah’s talent show practice
- Thursday – Graduate school open house for Leanne, Isaac’s band practice for church
- Friday – Hannah’s talent show
- Saturday – Hannah’s jewelry show fundraiser for Guatemala, Walnut Street Theater show
- Sunday – church, Isaac’s piano recital
This is just a small snapshot into our lives. As you can see, we keep busy. Each of these things is great, but it can become too crazy when we don’t have room for margin in our schedules or when we don’t have consistency in our routine.
Families often struggle with a chaotic existence – running from activity to activity, trying to jam down a quick bite to eat, squeezing in homework, rushing to catch the bus, wrestling with work, etc. We live this way day after day, week after week, month after month. In this midst of this hustle and bustle, our parenting takes on a survival mentality. Wouldn’t it be great if we could change this?
We send mixed messages to our kids when we aren’t consistent even in our schedules. For example, if we aren’t consistent in putting our kids to bed at the same time each night, they will probably develop problems with going to bed. If we aren’t consistent with meal times and snack times, our kids will develop unhealthy eating patterns. Meal times will also tend towards chaotic instead of connecting. Establishing a routine for your family helps kids develop healthy patterns for the future.
Despite the craziness of our schedule, we do try to maintain a rhythm to our weekly schedule. This helps us stay on the same page. Communication is also key. We keep a calendar in our kitchen that helps us stay on top of our family commitments. This helps to avoid over booking ourselves. We have actually started to carve out nights for dates and family nights. When we block these on our calendars, we show each other that our family and our marriage is important. Other things can wait.
What specific things have you done at your home to encourage a family routine? How do you find balance in the busyness of life?
Challenge Activity: Work together as a couple, as a family, or individually to come up with a schedule that works for you and your family. Be as detailed as possible. Be sure to include things like meal times, bed times, etc. Begin to implement the schedule before this week.