If you are in the average American family now, it always seems like there is something to do. This is just from an activity standpoint too. The kids may have extracurriculars, sleep-overs, projects due, and then some. Next, you add in all that the adults have to do and you may be filled with crazy, conflicting schedules that somehow we make all of it work.
All this busyness can lead to two things: pressure and anxiety. The anxiety may come from the fact that we struggle to keep up with the schedule, not be late, and fulfill all the obligations. The pressure may come from the fact that we feel like we HAVE to do everything. Every invite, every playdate, every sport, every event, we must RSVP yes, attend the event, and leave an impression while we are there. We may do this out of fear of appearance, loosing face, or some other insecurity. This will inevitable lead to…burnout.
The American Family during the year experiences peaks and valleys of busyness and leads to the question: Where does communication fit in? Do we just assume it will happen? Do we take it for granted? Do we leave it in the hands of technology which voids out emotion? A lack of communication is still communication, and we all need to do better.
One thing to try is analyzing your priorities and seeing what you can and cannot live without as a family. I like to think of my time as one big pie chart where each piece can flex in and out as we need. One of the biggest slices is time spent with each other that generates good communication. We eat dinner every night at our table with our two young boys. The goal is to show them this is what we believe normal to be in this household. Engaging in consistent, open, honest conversation is the absolute key. It must be consistent though or your family won’t take it seriously. Communicate enough where it becomes both second-nature and intentional in your household.
The whole goal of this podcast series is to PROTECT THE FAMILY. You can do this by starting now, no matter how old or young your kids are, with a firm foundation of consistent and intentional communication channels. So when stress and anxiety inevitably rear their ugly heads, your family stands ready to be resilient to it all.