5 Tips for Spinning the School, Work & Parenting Plates

By Janis Meredith | Posted 3/15/2021

As a parent, you have a lot on your plate, AND you have a lot of plates to keep spinning.

Here are 3 tips for keeping those plates going without dropping them: 

1.    Ask for Help.
If you are trying to work, taxi, cook, shop, and clean all on your own, you will burn out. Do yourself a favor; ask for help.
Ask your spouse and kids to pitch in and help. If you can afford it, hire a housecleaner or even someone to help you babysit. Consider a homeschool co-op where you share facilitating responsibilities with other parents.

And last, but NOT least, ask for help for you. If you need someone to mentor you, someone to help you figure out your schedule, or someone to just listen to you, find your person. 
 

2.    Stick to a Schedule
Busy lives are easier to manage if you stick to a schedule. Schedule your work around your child’s school needs, schedule your mornings, your nights at home after school or sports practice. Talk to your kids about the schedule and your need for them to respect it.

Again, it’s okay to ask for outside help if you can’t do it all alone. You don’t have to be Super Mom or Dad, you just have to be willing to follow a schedule. A schedule is helpful to you and your kids. Known expectations help guide everyone.

3.    Let Your Kids Learn to Figure It Out
It’s very tempting for parents to step in when they see their kids struggling, especially sports parents. But the best way for them to learn is for you to let them figure it out. The more they own it, the more they will learn and the less they will need you.

Even if your child comes to you and asks for help, don’t give answers. Ask questions that will help them learn to think for themselves. This takes more effort on your part, but you are doing your child no favors when you make things easy on them.

Those three simple tips will save you time and energy. They may not seem like rocket science, but I guarantee their implementation will bring about changes in your family and cut down on the chaos in your home.

Janis Meredith is a family life coach who wants to help parents raise champions. You can find out more at rcfamilies.com.

Share