setting priorities

5 Ways to Coordinate Your Schedule with Your Children

Parenting and work life sometimes create a volatile mix of stress inducing, guilt causing agony for an extremely busy Dad. So, the question is how do we manage our business with the needs of our children in ways that make logical sense? It simply isn’t possible to do it all, but with careful organization and wise decisions, the stress level can be reduced greatly.

Here are 5 ideas to consider in helping to coordinate your schedule to get quality time with your children.

1. Top Priorities

Setting priorities of what is most important is always the first step in any organization. Cut the waste in both your work life and family schedules to maximize the positive benefits in both. Start by writing down everything you and your family spend time doing. Then star the most important things and stop doing the non-essential.

2. Family Calendar

Coordinate the schedule of each member of the family on an easily seen calendar so that all can easily check on meetings, practice times, or what is for dinner. Electronic calendars give notifications and alerts that are helpful reminders in the midst of a busy day.

3. Learn to Say No

It’s tempting to consistently say yes and stretch ourselves too thin. Consider your options carefully and place the love for family always at the top. After hours cocktails with workmates versus tossing a football with your son before dinner makes for an easy no. “Get the football out of the garage, son; I’ll be home in 10 minutes.”

4. Dates with Daddy

One-on-one conversation with your child doing something they choose to do will win his/her heart. One consistent item on the family calendar could be a regular date with Dad. One-on-one conversation with your child doing something they choose to do will win his/her heart. Do this for each of your children individually if possible. It really means a great deal when they know they have Dad alone for those special moments.

5. Be Realistic

Sometimes guilty feelings cause overcompensation to the issue. No need to go overboard if you absolutely have to miss one of your child’s sporting events. We have to be realistic about what we can and cannot do. When we are trying our best as parents, such as putting into action the suggestions on this list or coming up with our own, everything is going to turn out fine. Our behavior will dictate success or failure.

Huddle up with your kids and set up one-on-one times.