Submitted By: Jackie Chen
School life can be very hectic these days. As a mother of two, I have noticed that our family lifestyle has been changed ever since my son started high school. Differently from the past, we now need to constantly fight to live by our old ways.
In pursuit of solutions, I have communicated with other parents around me to find out how others deal with the high school schedule. From the answers I have received, it turns out that many other families also undergo this fast paced and frantic lifestyle just like our own. Some other parents have complained that they no longer have time to talk their children because they are busy driving them around to their extracurriculars. One mom also told me that she now rarely asks her daughter to complete chores around the house. Having heard how others fare with these new busy schedules, I find that we are all on the same boat. I really miss the time when we could just sit at the back yard listen to birds sing and watch squirrels run on the fence.
Let’s adapt and learn how to manage these new changes … but how? How we can turn a busy lifestyle into a more enjoyable and manageable life? Don’t get me wrong; I do value my childrens’ hard work and studying. However, I would also like to focus on how to enjoy life given these fast-paced schedules.
- Prioritize your tasks. Rank the task into different categories and focus on what is really important and what needs to be done first. Do this instead of multitasking.
- Schedule a one on one “date” with your son or daughter. Choose to do different activities with each of them based on their interests. Just hang out with them like you would with a best friend.
- Work hard, play hard. Reward hard work with fun activities.
- Be mindful of whatever you are doing instead of just doing it. Enjoy the experience and the process of doing it instead of the result.
- Perform more outdoor activities rather than just indoor activities with your children. Instead of going to the gym, take a walk at your neighborhood, or run one to two miles each morning. You are not only saving the time of driving to the gym but you also acquire a breath of fresh air in the morning by doing so.
- Have family dinner at the dinner table, instead of at your computer. This way, you can have a chance to talk and share with your child.
Though these are only a few recommendations, I hope that the suggestions would be able to benefit your life and enable you to have a more meaningful and relaxed lifestyle, especially with your high schooler.
