Smart Balance
Smart Balance
by Sandra Chowanec
I admit it. I’m guilty as charged. I’m one of those people who enjoy eating healthy and exercising. But sometimes (or more than sometimes) there are just not enough hours in the day. And as hard as I try, I don’t have the will power to resist those delicious calorie-intensive birthday treats that enter my classroom and beckon me like the song of the sirens luring sailors to their demise! So I compromise. I resign to do the best that I can and not beat myself up about it.
The same approach should be applied when it comes to time with your family and children. Today our schedules fill up more quickly than Times Square on New Year’s Eve. If you are a family with a working parent then your schedule is going to be based around that family member’s schedule. Dinnertime, bath time, story time, bedtime, family time, it all has to be planned. If both parents are working outside the home then the planning becomes even more challenging. This is where the “don’t beat yourself up about it” attitude has to kick in. It is also where finding balance is necessary.
To help find balance we need to prioritize what is really important. Just like emergency rooms have a triage process to determine priorities, so must we. Don’t feel pressured into accepting every party invitation or play date that comes across your email. Spreading yourself too thin will make you weary. One thing I’ve learned is that kindness wears out when we do. Before we know, if we find ourselves saving our best behavior for our friends and acquaintances outside the home and our family members and our immediate family, those people we love more than anything in the world, get the leftovers — our tired, grumpy behavior.
In addition to prioritizing, being organized is also very helpful. Try scheduling time with your family just as you would schedule a dentist appointment. And, I assure you, the appointment with your family to have a picnic at the park or story time at the library will be much more enjoyable! Planning out your meals for the week ahead is another great idea. It removes the pressure of having to come up with last minute dinner ideas and avoids the need to run to the store for those last minute items. My favorite idea for making time with my family is to elicit my children’s help whenever possible. Young children love to help around the house. It makes them feel part of the “team.” Show your children how to dust with a dusting cloth and they will dust the entire house like an FBI forensics team. Show them how to fold the towels and match the socks. Your laundry will be done in half the time and you don’t have to pay worker’s comp. I always tell parents the “teach a man to fish” strategy for their children. Do not do for your children what you can teach your children to do for themselves. A quick demonstration on how to sweep the floor or how to wash and dry the dishes is time well spent. Your children will treasure the fact that you have included them in your activities and you will have found a way to build family memories and learn how to love, honor, and vacuum together. As your children get older, they should make their own beds, put away their own laundry and write the weekly shopping list. Distributing household chores means more available family time.
There are so many opportunities if you just stop and think about it. And focus on the process, not the finished product. Young children will be very eager to help, but they may not clean or fold with your years of household expertise. But who cares? If you encourage your children instead of correcting them their skills will improve. You will be amazed at how much fun you can have working together as a family. You may not be able to make more hours in the day or more days in the week, but you can transform those ordinary moments of mundane chores into vivid memories of family togetherness. Although it may sound like a branding slogan for a digital camera, it is still very true: Moments are fleeting, but memories are forever.
You can read more about us and our staff. See how the Montessori Method can provide the ideal learning environment for your preschool or elementary school child. We offer an early preschool program and All Day Program to accommodate our parents needs. Contact us to see Montessori in action at our weekly Open House. Learn more about how to observe a preschool in action.
Call Mastro Montessori Academy at 732-842-5816 and schedule a visit today.
