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MAKING TIME COUNT
Everybody knows that parents today are busy/tired/frazzled/overworked/over-committed/trying to do too much/stressed-out.
The majority of parents are in the work force and struggle to manage the family-work conflict. Most do a valiant job.
When I had two small children and a demanding job, I tried valiantly but often found myself at the end of the day praying in vain: "Dear God, just one more hour, please. If I had one more hour in the day I could do it!"
I was the only mother on my long block who worked. Today it's rare to find any mothers at home on that street.
Parents tell me their major worry today is, "Am I spending enough time with my kids?" Time has become the family's most valuable commodity.
Some parents, realizing they are spending less time with their children than their parents spent with them try to "make it up to kids" with THINGS. But what the kids want is TIME.
Nobody can get that extra hour in the day, but parents can make time with their children count and can find ways to get more time at home.
Some suggestions for busy parents:
GET ORGANIZED
Make out ONE MORE LIST by asking yourself 4 questions:
1. What can I leave out?
2. What can I do less often?
3. What can I do more efficiently?
4. What can I ask or pay someone else to do?
Answers might be ironing, changing the sheets (where is it written we have to do that weekly in a home where everybody showers daily?), get a big squeegee for washing windows, ask a young teen to wrap Christmas presents.
MULTITASK
A family hike equals togetherness plus exercise.
DECREASE CONSUMERISM
Every time we buy something it USES UP TIME. How? First we think about the purchase, research it, commute to store or use the Internet, pick out the purchase, take it home, open multiple layers of packaging, find a place for it, maybe have to return it, recycle the multiple layers of packaging, take what we are replacing to charity, pay the credit card bill. Think of all the time you save if you don't buy it!
DECREASE THE NOISE IN YOUR HOME
No, you won't pick up any hours but you and your family will be calmer, more relaxed, better able to interact. My husband and I recently returned from a trip in the African bush. No electricity, no TV, no newspapers, no radio, no telephone for three blissful weeks -- an expected pleasure. We had more time to talk -- an unexpected pleasure.
SLOW DOWN HOUSEHOLD PACE
Can't be done during the week because of multiple pressures on everybody? Slow down on weekends. A slower household pace means pleasurable interaction time between family memebers.
EVERY RECLAIMED MINUTE TO SPEND WITH YOUR KIDS COUNTS!
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