Managing Your Families Fall Season

It’s Minnesota State Fair time—which signals to all families that the summer is drawing to an end. With our tray tables up and seat backs in their upright position, we are zooming down the runway, getting ready to lift off into the fall season. When people ask me about the fall, the most overused phrase that comes out of my mouth is the word “busy.” I sense it in our office and I can feel it in my pulse. The calendar gets turned and here come the commitments and schedules. Here are three areas to consider when it comes to managing your families fall schedule.

#1—Make sure you schedule in quiet and rest. We can pride ourselves in our ability to multitask. I’m guilty of it. I’ll come home, turn on the TV, pop open the laptop to check email and get on the phone to return calls all at the same time. Dr. Archibald Hart, a noted Christian psychologist, comments that the brain is not wired for the multitasking that we so commonly see. There is actually a stress load that comes with this, and adrenaline is released into our systems. Adrenaline is a great thing when we need to run away from a dangerous situation, but a constant bombardment of it is quite damaging to our systems. Make sure you schedule a Sabbath day of rest in your family. Decide to take an ‘electronic fast’ from time to time during your week, so you can quiet your heart, mind and soul. Psalms 46:10 says “Be still and know that I am God.” It’s hard to listen to God when we’re running at a break neck pace.

#2—Recognize the value of family time. Parents and kids can be running from friend to friend, activity to activity. Make sure you schedule time to be together as a family. Meal time is a great way to be together to visit with one another, so decide and protect how many meal times you’ll be together. Try to find activities that you all can do together as a family—whether it’s a game night, or playing a sport together. Prioritize spending time with your family over other friends or acquaintances.

#3—Don’t over commit to your activities. Don’t be involved in activities just because everyone else is. Choose wise activities for your family, that bring enjoyment and growth. When it comes to your children, Dennis and Barbara Rainey of Family Life Ministries have found that you can best support your children’s strengths with ongoing involvement in just one or two activities or sports. Choose activities that will build character, and will instill lessons learned for life. Monitor part-time jobs and workloads as they suggest limiting them to ten hours a week.

So – what is your plan for this fall? Any tips for us?

For further reading, see Parenting Today’s Adolescent: Helping Your Child Avoid the Traps of the Preteen and Teen Years by Dennis and Barbara Rainey (1998, Thomas Nelson Publishing).