Family Schedules
Having a family today looks very different than 20, 40, or 60 years ago. Times have changed immensely. The dynamics of raising a family with several children 60 years ago basically embodied family, church, school, maybe Girl and Boy Scouts and the very special occasion of an outing. Fast forward to the present day and yes, there is family, church, school with the added extracurricular activities of sports, dance, etc. plus several family vacations for the various seasons of the year. Where do we find the time to clean the house, change the oil for the two plus cars in the family, rake leaves, do laundry, make a well-balanced meal?
There are several ways to make a schedule, from the pen and paper calendar to a white board with all the perfect colors to exemplify each individual personalities, to the electronic calendar on your iPhone or Android. Once the dates are reserved and the tasks are assigned, comes accountability. There needs to be one person responsible for the master calendar, whether it is a paper or an app. This person should also help send reminders or educate the others to set them up electronically. The most important aspect of the calendar is choosing the best appropriate one for your family.
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Keeping the schedule can be just as tedious as recording it in your style. Everyone in the family should have a task to complete at least once a day. When little ones, like toddlers, are involved in the activities they develop relationships with those people they interact with and gain a sense of belonging and self-confidence. As the children grow older, they adjust to change easily and become more independent. With simple tasks at home children will feel in control of their environment, feel safe, secure and comfortable. We should want this for our children so they can become responsible and independent young people.
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Maintaining a balanced schedule for your family is vital for mental and physical health. Too much happening will cause stress and fatigue. The family must meet to decide what is most important to them. Church? Sports? Family Time? Self-care? Down time? Outings? Service to the community? You fill in what is important to you.
While this looks like it is written for those with children you can easily modify this for empty nesters, newly engaged couples, college students and senior adults. We all have a purpose in life. We need to be sure we allow time for the activities that bring us the most joy and happiness once our necessary tasks are done like doing dishes, mopping the floor or taking out the trash. You can even schedule when those are done each day so you can clearly see the amount of time you have to do the things that bring you the joy and happiness you so deserve.
If you are reading to the end of this blog and thinking of how my family could give an hour to help others, I invite you to visit alleluiabaskets.org and click on the calendar tab to find a date and time in the months of January, February or March to come and fill Easter baskets for those in need of joy at Easter. I guarantee your family, group of friends or extended family will be glad you came. The excitement of those there will fill your hearts then and the days to come. Many families and friend groups return each year knowing the work is good and they are helping those in need.
