Part IV: Race Against Time
IN OUR FAST-PACED WORLD, parents and children may feel like every day is a footrace. We wake up, get dressed, sometimes grab a bite for breakfast, and then go from one thing to the next: work, school, gym, store, ball fields.
Parents often feel like a relay team. “You take her. I'll take him. See you back here at 7. I'll do the dishes, you do the pickups. I'll do the homework, you do the baths.” Sound familiar?
We teach our children to tell time when they are young. I suggest we teach them how to manage their time as well. If we teach time management, maybe some things will get done completely and thoroughly without a rush to the finish line, and maybe our children will have some white space on their calendars and some downtime in their days to just enjoy being kids. Instead of passing on our stress, we can pass on our calm, forward-planning skills to our children.