Happy Monday!
As we move into this week with school registration and the British Challenger Soccer Camp for the boys, I thought it would be perfect to team up with Guest Writer, Wendy Dessler to give us some tips for balancing school and sports.
[ctt template=”5″ link=”0bkJc” via=”yes” ]Parents of active children have a full calendar. We must keep up with their sports activities, social lives, education, and teach them the values we want them to have.[/ctt]
We also have our own lives to manage including our career, relationship with our partners, family, and friends. Then, of course, there is the family budget, pets, the running of the household, and anything else that decides to pop into our already busy lives.
In all of this, there is one primary responsibility which is raising our kids to be caring, insightful, responsible, trustworthy, and balanced people.
How this lesson is taught in their early years, has a direct influence on what kind of adult they will be. The power is in your hands. It is the most important challenge you will ever face.
School
This is the most important and the most difficult job in your child’s life. Even if your child is an “A” student. Few students will go above what they are required to if there are other events in their lives that they would rather do.
This puts the parents in a dilemma.
Do we stand by our agreement, that if they do their school work, they can do the other things they want to do? Do we push them beyond what is asked of them? If we do, we are teaching them that adults do not keep their word. That is not the example we want to set. We can praise their efforts and encourage them to do more. But, we keep our word.
The child primarily must put energy, effort, and time into their schoolwork before you can cut that up to include other activities.
Did you know?
The average American kid spends 6 hours per week on homework.
This must be allowed into the schedule or the kid will probably rush through it or not do it at all in order to get to dance class or soccer practice – in Brennon’s case.
Making a (dreaded) chart
Make a chart that shows the average week of each member of your family. Show how much time mom and dad can give in transporting, attending, and help with activities.
Use different colors for each person. Children learn better when they can visualize things. It is also an eye-opener for you.
Include the schedules of other kids in the family. Show what their interests cost in money and time. By doing this, everyone is considered and no one is singled out as the most important member of the family. Everyone is important. Every activity is equal.
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Schedule in downtime
It is hard to say, “Sunday is a family day!” and stick to it. Sooner or later, someone’s life will interrupt your Sunday and then it is fair game for all players. Schedule your time in small windows that work for everyone.
Schedule in downtime. These are pockets of time that the child has no responsibilities. Use these windows to teach the child how to unwind and release his or her mind. Some children have a very hard time understanding relaxation. So, it is much easier handled if you say, “Sunday dinner is at 7:00 PM, after that time we will have family time until bed”.
What you do with that is easy enough. Consider activities such as ordering pizza and playing board games, cards, or watching a movie. Or, create a family project like building a miniature train village, or playing hide-and-seek. You could even order some favorite candy from Sweet Services, for a fun weekly treat.
Create a budget
Like an allowance, a child must learn to consider the cost of the things they want. Set a budget and show them when you apply things to the budget such as entry fees and cost of extra gear.
Teach them how to work the budget. This is a perfect opportunity to teach your child how to handle money and get more for his or her dollar.
For example, if you buy their dance dresses on clearance, you can show them that leaves more dollars for other things.
Keep in mind, however, that they are children. It is okay to help them when they go over the budget from time to time as long as you are working toward getting to the goal.
In Summary
Your children come to you as a blank slate. How you teach them will determine their future. So, teach them how to balance school and sports with the tips listed in this post to help them become responsible and balanced individuals.
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