My refusal to overschedule

Before the kids were old enough to choose activities outside of our house to get involved in, I would hear about parents shuttling their kids here there and everywhere. Back then, I vowed that would not be our lifestyle. I wanted our kids to have dinner at the kitchen table with their parents, enjoy riding their bikes when the weather permitted, and even a television show or two before bedtime. In my opinion, all that running around for various extracurricular activities would quickly eliminate this "down time".

It's funny what you'll "refuse" to do before you are knee-deep in the trenches of whatever you are swearing off. Now that my kids are in fifth and first grades, it seems they have ideas about what their lives should look like - shocker! Jay would dance five hours a week, run with the Jogging Club on Friday mornings before school, attend Student Council meetings, have weekend sleepovers, be part of Yearbook Club, and put in the effort her parents expect of her in school. Phew! Just typing all that gets me winded! Nas on the other hand is just getting his feet wet and is happy to be a Cub Scout where meetings convene on Tuesday nights, and play flag football with his fellow Eagles on Saturday mornings.

Before school even started I knew Jay would have a long list of "to-dos" in mind, so I knew that in keeping with my commitment to my family, the reigns would have to be a little tighter on my social go-getter. If I didn't she would surely burn out before Christmas Break!! Not only that, I'm simply not the mom who is willing to shuttle the kids all over town for their "stuff", call it lazy, call it what you will, I'm just not that mom! To keep things "balanced" (don't you just love that unrealistic concept?) I did not allow Jay to take Jazz this school year. That required an extra hour, on top of her 2 hours of weekly dance. She won't be taking any classes on Saturdays at her favorite dance studio either which would add two more hours to her dancing per week, it's just too much for her.

To tame the craziness that my life could be with two children, I decided to let Saturday be our busy day: We do Nas's football stuff, any shopping for the kids, evening church service, Jay's ballet recital rehearsals, whatever must be done outside of the house - we do on Saturday. Come Sunday, we rest. We enjoy a leisurely "brunch" as a family, then the kids can do whatever they want - play with friends or do their own thing, there are no real commitments happening on Sunday.

The kids getting older has required me to adjust to maintain order for my family, because there are some things that are just non-negotiable. Family time and down time are two 'non-negotiables' for me and so far this system is working.


How do you keep your family life sane as the kids get older?