Life of a parent can be stressful. It is the constant struggle to juggle work, kids and responsibilities that make you feel like you are being stretched in all different directions. We can all agree that when we are feeling less stressed, we become better parents. We are able to enjoy our families more and create more meaningful bonds. It is important that parents lay out the ground work into become a less stress parent. Here are some tips on how to do just that:
Be organized. This is the most obvious. When you are always running around because you can’t find your keys, your kids can’t find their homework it is enough to want to pull out your hair. Having a great organized system to get everyone through every day routine with ease is a must. Homework, school papers, keys and phone should have their place in your home. This will help you get through the day faster rather than always looking for your items.
Make family communication easy. When there are multiple people in a family, everyone’s activities or commitments can get all mixed up. Keep a big calendar visible for everyone to see to write down everyone’s monthly plans. Color coordinate each family member so that it is easy for them to look at their schedule. Keeping things in a central calendar will help ensure that there is no overlapping and everyone knows their responsibilities.
Everyone helps out around the house. It is not just the parents who need to be constantly cleaning the house, making dinner and so on. Have your kids involved with helping keep the household a home. Every child should have chores of things they need to accomplish daily. This can be picking up their room, helping with the dishes or making dinner. Give your child responsibilities that you feel they can handle and what you really need help with. Remember that many hands make for light work.
Embrace the crazy. Life with children is going to be crazy, messy but oh so wonderful! The sooner that you accept that, the easier life will go on from there. Things will not always be perfect. The laundry will sometimes not get done and sometimes the easiest thing to do is to order a pizza. You don’t have to be a perfect parent. You just need to be a parent who tries to be the best for their kids every day.