Not only that but now we need to not only be parents but also teachers. Both of those things are full-time jobs. That's on top of your regular job if you still have one, or if you are working from home. That means that you have not one, but two, possibly three full-time jobs you are trying to do all at once. That's insane. Here are some tips to try and regain some control over your life.
1) Keep a Schedule: This is paramount. Everyone in the house when from being on a tight schedule to make the bus, make it to the office on time, etc. to basically no schedule or a haphazard schedule with about a day's notice. Regain some order by keeping a schedule, although it doesn't have to be as strict as before, it does have to have some rigidity to it.
Here is an example of a schedule I'm using with my nine-year-old son. Because I am me, I put it on a spreadsheet (it looks a lot like a football practice schedule...weird), printed it out, and put it in a document protector:Before 7:30- Wake-up; Read for 20 min.; screen time
7:30- iPad is put away; Breakfast (TV Okay)
8:00- Morning chores; Some activity that blesses someone else (I want to stress placing other first)
10:00- Screen Free Free Time
12:00- Lunch (TV Okay); Academic Activity
1:30- Screen Free Free Time
3:30- Screen Time (Only if chores, blessing others, and academic activity are all complete)
4:30- Evening chores/Family dinner
6:00- Family time! Movie, Game, Walk, Screen Time
8:00- Bedtime routine; Sandwich (Not a snack, I'll explain later); pray; Mr. Rodgers
9:00- ASLEEP!
Your schedule should have a lot of flexibility built into is, but it should also have the key components of your day. As we move into an eLearning environment, maybe this schedule will change, but the framework will remain in place.
What is "Sandwich?"
We talk briefly about our day and then we each take turns with the following 3 questions that help us frame the day and set us up for prayer.
1) What is something I was grateful for today?
2) What is something I want to ask God to forgive me for today?
3) What is something that I am excited about tomorrow?
2) Read: We have been given a great opportunity to calm ourselves, slow down and read. I have made it a point as part of my schedule to get up at the same time every day and read. Have your kids so the same thing. Make time to calm yourselves and read. Read by yourself, read with your kids, have your kids read by themselves and with you.
Making a habit of reading will set your children (and you!) up for success later in life. Insist on reading a little bit every day not as a punishment, but as a way of expanding knowledge and learning how to learn. What kind of books you ask? Any kind. You don't have to read books! Magazines and comics make great reading.
3) Write: This is something that I have forces to make a priority. Just like reading, writing can be a valuable, life-long skill. The only better to get better at it is to do it. Writing can take on many forms such as this blog, or a personal journal. It doesn't have to be much but set aside some time for you (and your kids!) to write a little bit every day. If you write for yourself, that's fantastic. If you write for someone else, you can really spread goodness. During this time of quarantine, most people head to the mailbox only to find bills and junk mail. Brighten their day by sending a handwritten letter or aa postcard. Not sure who to write to? Call your local nursing home and ask if there is someone there that you can be pen-pals with, even if it's a one-way relationship. With no visitation hours, I know that there are some lonely folks who would love to get a letter in the mail!
A very good friend of mine set up a "pen pal project" with a bunch of her parent friends to get the kids writing. She carried into account ages and living arrangements and I am excited to see my son's face light up when he gets his first letter. I'm sure the same will be true on the other end.
This is a tough time for everyone, but we can make the most of it. Start with these simple tips to start to bring order back to your life. No one knows what the next day, week, or month will look like, but we can be certain that keeping a schedule, reading, and writing will never go out of style.
Also: Go take a shower and comb your hair. With all the barbershops and hair salons being closed, we may need to start getting creative! As for me, I have a nice collection of hats.
