I got a call from ABC TV about a feature they are running on unique families that value rules, structure, schedules, and boundaries for their children. They found my article on being a militant mom and thought our family would be perfect for the segment. While I was talking with the woman, it got me to thinking about how many people watch these shows and why.
While I’m not a militant mom anymore, I speak with moms almost every day about structure. The reason? Parents are looking for any possible answer to the issues many of us face daily, with our children and in other areas of our life. Even if it’s just a tiny morsel of information that might help, they’ll take it. They call us to find out about our day planners and get help scheduling their time to get some sort of structure set in place.
The answer comes down to structure for the entire family. How do we structure our day to accomplish our must do tasks while still making time for family, rest and fun? People write bulleted lists of answers that are pretty much the same all over the place. So I’m not going to give you the same information once again.
What I want to share is this…If you start building structure in your home when the children are young and hold to that structure through their teen years, you’ll experience smoother sailing. Children need to know when, where, and how. My teens tell me, “If you just tell me what we’re doing this weekend, I’ll be ready.” Or “If you just make plans ahead of time I can prepare myself.”
There is such a large growth spurt emotionally in the upper teen years that any structure helps them feel a little more stability than when they don’t know what they are doing from day to day.
Our weekends are often just a, “Let’s figure it out when it comes.” But I’m learning the hard way that it’s not that easy for the kids. So off I go to plan. How about you?
Time Management – Are you up for the challenge?
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