Great Families, Bad Habits

Do you ever notice your family falling into a rut or bad habit? You are not alone! Even the best families can slip into bad habits. If your family is stuck in a rut, kick those bad habits to the curb with these easy tips.

Bad Habit #1: The Fast Food Funk

You just got off work, picked up the kids from school when they ask the dreaded question: “What’s for dinner?” Your mind races to do its best to remember what’s in your refrigerator at home to cook. Nothing comes to mind. You’ve had a long day and you still have to get the kids to soccer practice. You decide on a trip through the drive-thru is the easiest option. It’s easy to let busy days and packed full schedules get in the way of dinnertime, but once you’re in a fast food funk it can be hard to get out.

Preparation is the key to kicking this habit. On the weekend compile a meal plan for the upcoming week. Plan what your family will have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day of the week. Take into consideration which nights you will need a quick meal and which nights will leave time for a dinner that takes more time to make. Once you have your meal plan, make a list of all of the ingredients you will need. Then take a trip to the grocery store. Trips to the store can be hard to fit into busy weekends, so feel free to order your groceries online and pick them up or have them delivered straight to your door. If you really want to be prepared for the week, go ahead and make all the kids school lunches for the week and prep any ingredients like veggies that you will be needing. Then on Monday when the kids ask what’s for dinner, you will know the answer and will have everything prepped and ready to cook when you get home. Not only will you be feeding your family more nutritious meals, but you will save a little cash along the way from not eating out.

Bad Habit #2: Slipping on Chores

There’s nothing worse than coming home to a dirty house, well, except for cleaning a dirty house. When life is hectic it’s easy to slack off on household chores. The chore chart was fun for the kids the first week, but months later, they’ve lost their enthusiasm and you’re right there with them.

To kick this habit you will need all hands on deck. Designate time in your schedule for the entire family to clean the house from top to bottom. Growing up my mom called this Chore Day. Make it as fun as you can by turning up the music and giving each family member age-appropriate tasks. Once the entire house is spick and span, make sure the family knows how to maintain it with daily, weekly and monthly chores. It’s easy to slip back into sloppiness, but just remember it’s important for kids to learn responsibility and respect for their home and belongings. For a little extra motivation, offer a special treat when they complete all of their chores for a week without being asked.

Bad Habit #3: Too Much Screen Time

After a long hard day, it’s relaxing for kids to play on their tablets or watch tv. It gives parents a chance to relax, cook or accomplish something around the house, which makes it easy to let screen time guidelines slide. If you and your family are spending more than an hour a day on screens, it might be time to kick the habit.

Give your kids a limit of how much time they can be on screens, as well as what time of day. Is it strictly to be used 20 minutes after school? Or do they get 30 minutes of screen time before bed? Choose a limit and stick to it. To make sure they abide by the limits, put a timer on their device. This is a good tip for adults too. Parents can be just as attached to their phones as kids are to their tablets, so it’s important to lead by example. It’s the kids are going to put down their devices, you should too.  I was amazed and somewhat embarrassed when my phone started notifying me of my screen time. I immediately decided to put the phone down in the evenings and made it a point to go outside for a walk, play with my daughter in her toy room, fit in a workout or read a book.

Bad Habit # 4: Overscheduling

With several kids who have extra-curricular activities, homework, birthday parties, and other commitments, many families find themselves always on the go and too busy for quality family time, rest and relaxation. When families finally get home each night it’s time for bath and bed and you wonder where your night went.

Kick the habit of overscheduling your family by carefully considering your commitments. Many people have a hard time saying no, but sometimes bowing out of a volunteer opportunity, an extra baseball tournament or a new club can save your family a lot of stress. Before letting your kids sign up for another commitment, think about the time commitment involved and if it’s worth the stress.

When you create your monthly calendar, make time for family time. This time is to be spent 100% focused on the family. Maybe every Friday night you schedule a pizza and game night or maybe Sunday nights are for long walks together. Whatever you decide, make sure this timeframe is a priority to everyone in the family and doesn’t get postponed when other events come up.

Regan Lyons is a freelance writer who lives in Saint Joseph, MO with her husband and five-year-old daughter