A Revelation

I just figured something out and I thought I'd share.

There have been some days lately that are busy. Very busy. As soon as the boys step through the door after school and after a quick snack I usually have them hop stepping to one of several things. Piano practice, homework, scouts or sports. This is usually accompanied by whining, whining, whining and more whining. They have other ideas about what their afternoon should look like which include playing with friends, some more friends and finally a couple more. I totally get that and understand and I try hard to make that happen. But there are some days when I can't.

So here's what I learned. If I include them in the planning and preparing they are MUCH more likely to do what needs to be done. It's not perfect. I still get some protest, but it is much less. So, every night or morning we gather around our family calendar and look at the day ahead of us. What is scheduled, who needs to be where and what needs to be done. And then we talk it over, problem solve and confirm plans for the afternoon. So when they walk in that door in the afternoon they already know the plan and they understand why.

What a difference. Funny. Kids are like adults. They don't like to be ordered around anymore than we do. And they also like to know what is going on and why. If we include them in the planning, they feel more responsible and more willing to do what needs to be done. And I feel less like a drill sergeant barking out orders and more like a nicer mom. It is a win win.