Secrets to Staying Sane with Kids

Have you found yourself questioning your sanity while trying to balance everything in your home? Managing everything between yourself, your spouse, and your children as well as the challenges that everyday life brings is a skill that only a few people truly master. But don’t count yourself out yet, there are so many ways to keep you from feeling overwhelmed and to help you succeed as a spouse and parent. 

I’m sharing tips I’ve found to have helped me and my family function in a healthier way, and I believe these tips will help you gain sanity back in your home, too!

Routine

No matter who you are, having consistency is important to finding stability. For most people, living life in an unorganized way can make everything so much harder to navigate, so sticking to a routine is necessary for stability, whether mentally, physically, or spiritually. And, though you might not realize it, it’s the same way for kids! Kids need that stability in order to develop healthy habits and perspectives about life.

Having routine in our house is the #1 thing that’s helped my family. After trial and error, we’ve figured out a system for our kids to follow from the second they walk in the door after school so that they have the opportunity to continue growing at every turn. They could be at ball practice, working on homework, or spending time outside. It doesn’t have to be the same boring thing every day but it does need to be something that keeps them from losing interest in life. Variety can be good, but what really matters about this routine is consistency. My kids always have something to do, and something that is good for them and their development, instilling this at a young age helps them continue to better themselves as adults. 

Planning

Plan and explain whatever is going on to your kids! Kids love to know what’s happening, it makes them feel important and ready for what is coming up next. Let them in on the plans so that they are not stuck in a state of confusion or uncertainty about what their future looks like. It may not seem like it’s that important, but knowing about plans and future events helps us to formulate a plan of action. We figure out how we are going to accomplish things, and this is an important skill for our kids to have.

My kids used to hear me and my wife ask each other, “what’s the rundown for today?” and now they ask me that question at least once a day. Kids don’t really care about what is on the agenda as long as they know what is on the agenda. They need to feel included in family planning so they can feel confident in their role in the family and their future. Planning and explaining these things to your kids gives them security since you, the parent and leader of the family, know what’s going on and now they know what is coming next.

Mealtime

Dinner is a meal that most families can have together. Sometimes that meal might be breakfast or lunch, but in my family, it’s dinner. It’s a critical and important part of our family routine to set this time aside to spend together on a regular basis. We like to eat around 6:30-7:00 pm, about 6-7 nights a week, and spend this time talking and sharing the night with each other. If one of the kids finishes early, they wait until nearly everyone else is done and then asks to be excused.

Does this make us sound like Little House on the Prairie? Yes, it does. BUT it gives our kids family time and gives us time to check in with them, whether it’s 20 minutes or an hour, every day it is important to find moments to enjoy one another. 

It doesn’t matter too much what you talk about (as long as it’s not things you shouldn’t be talking about in front of your kids) as long as you spend that quality time together, consistently. 

Leftovers

Something that is HUGE for our family that many people probably don’t think about is making enough dinner for the next day. That doesn’t seem very consequential, but having that extra food already prepared can be really helpful for your kids. This gives them some sort of snack or meal they can make quickly so they aren’t filling up on sugar and junk food. This way they’ll always know they have something ready for them when they get hungry and they don’t need to rely on anyone else to get them the things they need!

I hope that you’ve found the tips from my experiences helpful and that you are beginning to understand how much these things can affect not only your children and their behaviors but the level of stress and comfort in your life as a whole. Routine, planning, and getting your kids in a rhythm will help you create more sanity in your home! Have other tips you’ve found to make life easier? I would love to hear about it!

If you have any questions or would like to share any information you may have, don’t be afraid to reach out.

You can email me at thomas@thomascox.co or send us a message through a contact form.

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