Did you know that the #1 thing that kids want from their parents is for their parents to be less stressed? Lets see if we can make that happen for our kiddos! Here are 5 steps to simplify your life!
1). Simplify your schedules! My husband and I have four children, ages 6, 5, 3 and almost 1. We have three boys and a little girl. Our boys are already into sports, even at a young age. They want to try new things and play every sport! Right now our rule is one sport (or activity) per season, per child. My hope is to keep it this way. I think that it will make it easier to focus on the sport and on each other if we are only doing one sport per season. I am finding that even one sport takes up several nights a week. Don’t worry about “keeping up with the Jones’” to have your child in this activity or that activity, just because you think that you should. Let them pick on thing & do just that. Youth group? Great. Soccer? Great. Karate? Great. Just make sure that it works for your schedule.
2). Make time for you!
It is so important to have time to yourself and time with your spouse. This is the teach our kids stay in bed later). Our younger kids are normally asleep by 6:30, while our older ones get to stay up until 7:30. That leaves about 3-4 hours for my husband and I to have time to catch up.reason that our kids are all in bed by 7:00... 7:30 at the latest (with a few exceptions, like a visit to Grandma's house). Kids need 12 hours of sleep, anyways, so this works out best for their school schedules. (see how I
3). Don't put so much pressure on yourself- "I love you just the way you are!" Sometimes I feel like we put so much pressure on ourselves and our kids to be close-to-perfect. We want our children in the best schools, playing the best sports, wearing the best clothes. We put the same pressure on ourselves: we want to make the best dinner, have the best activities for our kids, etc.... Lets lay off of the pressure, shall we? Lets not be so hard on ourselves! If you have chicken nuggets (again), that's OK! Throw in an apple and some green beans and you are all set! Give your kids a "free night" where they pick whatever they want- its fun and it is stress-free. (our kids normally pick oatmeal!)
4). Have the whole family help! Having your family help with the chores is important! See my post on Age-Appropriate chores. You can not do it all and if you are doing it all, you are not teaching your kids to be responsible. In order to teach your kids to be responsible adults, you have to first teach them to be responsible kids.
5). Routine A routine will keep you on track. Everyone knows what to expect. Life runs smoother! They naturally know when they need to brush their teeth or set the table. It happens at the same time every day. It makes life so much easier to be on a schedule, in my opinion, as long as your are OK to be flexible when you need to be!
BONUS TIP). Get lots of hugs, kisses and quality time! Hugs & kisses can reduce your stress- it makes everyone happier! Run off & give your kiddos a big squeeze right now & tell them how you love them (give them specifics... I love you because...). :) I make it a point to tell my kids that I love them, a lot! Every day I will say something along the lines of… “Oh my goodness! Come here! I have something SO important to tell you!” To which they will say “I know, Mom… you love me.” When I ask “How did you know?” they say “Because you tell me every day.” Music to my ears…
I'm Becky, from Your Modern Family, where I blog about raising our kids (using my background in education and therapy), organizing the home and saving money (see my post on saving money to be a stay at home Mom)! I am also the author of book, Potty Train in a Weekend. I am honored to share this guest post with you today!
Becky, Such great advice for reducing stress in our lives and families. Thanks so much for sharing with us! God bless!
ReplyDeleteJenifer