If the stress of juggling school, work, and family is making life difficult, you are not alone...
The kids are back to school months now and while for some parents that is great for others they hate the strict routine that it brings and the extra work to be organised at home. Juggling your own job and your kids is an immensely difficult task, although if you put systems in place it can run accordingly or as near as damn to it! So here's a few little tips and hopefully they allow you and your children to have a distressful school year.
- Have reliable childcare in place- Having someone who is trustworthy and will care for your children as well as you would will make the whole situation easier. Call the kids when they finish school so they know you are thinking of them and tell them you are looking forward to hearing about their day later.
- Check your child’s homework every evening- Your child’s minder will do the homework with your child but re check it yourself so you know what is going on in your kid’s school life and what they may be struggling with. There are always notes and so on stuffed into bags so it is best to give the bag the once over so you don’t get caught out with no cakes on bake sale day!
- Have meals and clothes organised- Use the weekend to put on a few extra meals to be put into the freezer for later in the week when the pressure is on. Of course it won’t harm the kids to have fish fingers once in a while but as a family you need to eat healthily and also provide the meals quickly so you can talk to the kiddies which matters more.
- Prioritize and forget the cleaning!- The kids are your priority so just do the bare essentials cleaning wise enough to keep the house from stinking and have the dishes washed. The hoovering, polishing and the bathroom can wait but the kids haven’t seen you all day and you guys need a catch up.
- Plan and have a strict schedule- To juggle efficiently you have to be a marvel at organising and this takes practice but it can be done. Have clothes ironed, laid out and lunches all ready for the next day which gives you more time in the morning to eat breakfast with the kids.
- Talk to your boss- If you are struggling and your finances allow have a chat with your boss about reducing your hours or lightening your workload so you aren’t so stressed in work. A job share is another viable option and one that can benefit you and your employer so go through it and remember you don’t get if you don’t ask.
- Do work if you must after the kids are in bed- Emails, phone calls and catching up on paper work can wait till the nippers are in bed and who can get any work done with the little ones around anyway?!
- Have a positive outlook- Look on the bright side of your busy lifestyle, it might enable you to have a fun filled holiday once a year or a nice home with good food to eat each day. Be grateful and remember every parent is in the same boat struggling along as well as they can.
