After surveying and talking to hundreds of parents, and experiencing the youth sports life myself, I know that one of the challenges many of them face is finding family time in the midst of a busy season.
There IS a way to prioritize family as well as fill your lives with all things sports. My suggestion is that you be intentional about planning each season so that chaos doesn’t sneak up on you. The following family prioritizing plan will help you get started.
The Family Prioritizing Plan
Step #1: Hold a Family Debrief Session
If you don’t already hold family meetings, now is a great time to start that habit. Hold them when they are needed, hold them regularly if you wish, but just be sure you have them periodically. Ask questions like:
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What kinds of things do you like to do as a family?
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What’s one of the most fun things we’ve done together?
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How often should we schedule family time?
Talk with the family about why family time is important and be sure to take notes of what family members say so that you can refer to them later in steps #2-#4.
Step #2: Calendar the Non-Negotiables
Take a blank calendar and start filling in the absolute non-negotiables in your life: work, medical appointments, etc. And this is the step where you need to make a major change if you are serious about prioritizing family time.
Family time must become a non-negotiable!
Before you start filling in the calendar with camps, youth sports, music lessons, play-dates, and every other negotiable activity that is screaming for your attention, put family time on the calendar.
