POSTED: 01.07.2011

Family Time Tips to Stay Ahead

TOPICS: Family

Effective Family Time Tips
How far ahead of your family do you need to be to stay to stay organized?

* Toddlers: Be five minutes ahead of them, otherwise your day will begin with a downward spiral as you sleepily eye the messy kitchen and hear your little ones proudly announce: “Mommy, we made breakfast!”

* School-aged children: Be one hour ahead of them. Remind them of what is next-whether school, music, or sports-so they can mentally start to transition and collect what is needed.

* Teenagers: Be one day ahead of them. If your teenager wants the car on the weekend, leverage his motivation by requiring that he clean his room and do chores beforehand.

* Spouses: Be three months ahead of him/her. If you want to get the house painted in the summer, start selecting colors in the spring. Discuss what you want to accomplish and when you can best do it. The same goes for a summer vacation, because a one- or two-week trip takes a lot of advanced planning.

* Retiring Spouse: Be one year ahead of him/her. Months ahead of retirement, initiate discussions about projects you want to tackle together or exciting trips you hope to take during your “golden years.” This is the time to work together as a team for mutual enjoyment.

* For more tips get the booklet, Ages and Stages of Organizing Your Children, to get your children organized from little ones up through high school graduates.