Frantic Family Syndrome
Does your family suffer from Frantic Family Syndrome? We’ve all been there—too much to do, and too little time to accomplish it. There are number of reasons for family stress. For example, peer pressure isn’t just something your kids face—parents face it too. The advent of social media can make you feel like you aren’t measuring up to others. It’s very easy to let what others are doing creep into your head and convince you that you aren’t doing enough—but fear not, here are a few tips make your life easier and to “C” you through!
Plan the 5 Cs:
Calendar—Invest in a planner, and here’s the tricky part, use it. Whether it’s old school paper, or one of a few digital options that you can get for free through Google or Whomi, keeping track of “the what and when” will help you strategize “the how.” Be sure to jot down notes with the “to-dos” associated with every obligation, event or accepted invitation. If you don’t know the details give it a TBD, to be determined.
Car—Plan the driving schedule for the week. Are you going solo to the soccer tournament or can you arrange to be included in a car pool? Older teens can either drive themselves or help you out by taking a sibling to an event. Coordinate the car schedule by using a color for each participating driver in your household so they can see their role in weekly transportation at a glance.
Cooking—Plan your menus a week in advance and then create the corresponding grocery list. If you know what you’re cooking ahead of time you can delegate meal prep. Putting together a crock pot dinner is something even younger children can accomplish with older siblings leading the process. And plan for leftovers too—tonight’s fajitas can be tomorrow’s chicken chili.
Cleaning—Chores should be designated weekly as well. Assign tasks according to abilities, and reward the kids for follow through. (Maybe a trip to a Cyber Quest arcade?) This is another area where you can give each family member a color on the calendar to indicate what they need to accomplish.
Children—Who is responsible for the tasks associated with the children? Lunch packing? Homework and special school projects? Back pack prep? Bath time? Bed time? This is a big category, but basically, it’s a catchall for those things that keep the kids on a schedule and functioning well at home, in the classroom and beyond.
The EBS! Last, but not least, work with your friends, relatives and other parents to form an Emergency Buddy System. You simply can’t plan for everything, and when that moment arrives, there’s no panic if you have a list of players on your bench to help you out in a pinch. The key to making it work is to keep it balanced, and to never lean too hard on any single source of assistance.
One place you can lean on is Kids Quest! If you some time to yourself or with your spouse, the teammates at KQ are your ultimate emergency buddies who specialize in nothing but fun for your children, and fee time for you!