Slaves to Routine
April 5, 2007 by kate baggott
Filed under Mental Health
A year ago, I wrote about being a slave to routine. There are a lot of parents who have no flexibility, no time for themselves and no opportunities for trying new things because they are so frightened of upsetting their children’s routines. It can make holidays stressful and, for some, completely unmanageable. Planning ahead and trying to do some things as usual does make life easier, but it isn’t the only answer.
How are you dealing with breaking the routine for the holidays?
Surely, the whole point of holidays is that you are not tied to a routine?
I agree that it helps to have a few things planned so that you and the kids can look forward to them. Otherwise, I relish the fact that (a) I have another pair of hands to help me because my husband is at home and (b) We can just see what we feel like doing.
The kids are so pleased to have a break from school that they are happy just to hang out.
Happy holidays
I just spent three weeks in the U.S. with my baby, and I managed by not having a routine. He was already messed up in his schedule from the time change (coming back has been far worse though), and neither of us wanted to miss anything! So we went for three weeks without much of a routine, but it worked out in the end– in part due to my laid back attitude and in part because our “normal” daily routine is REALLY flexible. I put him down to nap when he is tired, not when the clock says. Same with nursing and everything else.
Maria- You could be my a-schedule twin.