You know what has started working for me? Letting my kids keep me accountable. Not for all things, of course, but…
Say it’s the middle of June, and the kids are getting restless. I decide that maybe tomorrow I’ll take them to the zoo so they can have fun and run out some of their energy. Plus, they can feed the giraffes at the zoo, so it’s one of their favorite places ever…
But tomorrow comes, and I’m tired, and I’m just not ready to be all hot and sweaty. I decide I might change my mind so we can stay at home in the nice AC. However… if I have mentioned it in anyway to my 4 year old, he now remembers and will bug me to go to the zoo all day. So sitting in the AC will not be all that pleasant with a 4 year old pleading with me all day, “But Mom! You SAID…”
I’ve started using this for my kids’ best interest. It’s in my flesh to be lazy and chill… and it always takes me a while to get going in the morning. If I had my way and planned my day each morning, we’d stay in all day every day. But I start planning our days the afternoon before, when I have more energy, and I mention it all to my kids, so I can’t back out on them. It makes our days a lot more fun and beneficial for them… and that works for me!
It’s the same way in our house! I could easily stay in bed all morning, but if my son knows we have plans, he actually gets me excited about them too.
Wonderful photo!
Honestly, that’s so true! I love it, Leigh!
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That’s so funny that you say that–yesterday, I told my boys about plans for today and tomorrow. This morning, because of the cold that I have, I was wishing I hadn’t, but I know that it will be good for all of us to get out of the house and have some fun! They are great accountability!
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Absolutely! After all, we are trying to teach children to follow through on their promises, so we have to set a good example.
The flip side is that I have learned NOT to promise things I may not be able to do. I have a full-time job and a tendency to over-schedule because there are just so many neat things to do and so little time…but running myself and/or my child ragged is not healthy. Often, when I’m considering whether or not to do something, I think it through aloud so my child can hear how we work out these things.
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I know this zoo. when I saw the picture, I said that’s my zoo! We love it there.