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Surviving the Struggle with Spring Sports and Sleep Schedule
Parents around the world will share the same sentiment that there just does not seem to be enough time in the day to possibly cram in all the activities their kids want to participate in as well as all the other necessaries, such as eating, doing homework and getting a good night’s sleep too.
When the kids are still figuring out what sports they want to prioritise, as a parent you can find yourself having to ferry the little ones to more than one practice and more than one game every week.
You are sacrificing your own time, but as a parent, this doesn’t really come into the equation because you want your children to be happy and healthy. However, when all the practices and game time is over, and you don’t get through the front door until 9pm some nights, this doesn’t leave a lot of time for anything else.
Getting home this late with children throws up a few conundrums to overcome like getting them to wind down to a proper level before bed, ensuring they’ve been fed and just making sure that they’ve been put to bed at a reasonable time so that they can fully rest up after their busy day.
No one said it would be easy, but there are ways to make it doable, and when the pressure is on and this doesn’t seem plausible, you know that you can work through the points we have below which will guide you through. Let’s check them out!
Planning
It’s important to have a clear plan for the day laid out. You don’t want surprises e.g. things you’ve forgotten about to destabilise the smooth plan you have laid out. By unintentionally switching the task you are undertaking, it will eat into your day more so than you might think.
Studies have shown that, on average, it takes a significant 26 minutes to recover from even the most trivial of disturbances. So, this is why planning out your day and allowing yourself leeway for any unexpected interruptions to arise will prevent unwanted stress.
Cooking
For busy parents cooking really can be a burden because you want your kids to be as healthy as possible, but at times, nutritious meals can appear time-consuming, particularly when you arrive home late from games, etc.
A simple solution to this is to take a leaf out of the gym-goers manual and meal prep. Cook up nutritious meals that you can them divide up into portions and then pop in the freezer.
Then, when you arrive home later than usual after days when there are club sessions on, you can stick these in the microwave and rest assured that the children are eating well and you’ve saved a notable amount of time too.
Sleep Routine
This follows on nicely from the previous point in regard to planning. Now, you know that on busy days you will need the kids to hurry through the door later than usual to be able to get into bed at a reasonable time. Sleep is a vital component to function as a human being and kids need that time to rest and recover, mentally and physically.
This is where your routine kicks in. If there’s disorganisation, the little ones won’t know what to expect from each day to the next. So, be clear and concise that on days when they have practice though and you inform them that they have a time slot from arriving home to do the following
- Eat dinner
- Put their kit in the wash basket
- Have a wash
- Brush their teeth
- Hop into bed
This structure will help you all in the long-run and create a happier, less stressful home environment. You can find some great snippets of advice for this from The Sleep Advisor too!
Banish the Guilt
It’s easy to be sit down at the end of a busy day and think that you’re not doing enough, or you’re not being as good a parent as some of the others you meet at the school gates, but it’s so vital as a parent to not let yourself be consumed with guilt.
Parenting doesn’t come with a manual, as they say, and you know that you’re doing the best you possibly can for you and for your children. It’s quite likely that there are parents you see at the sports practice who look at you and wonder how you manage the load, so you’re never alone with these types of feelings.
What’s important with this point, is to realise that when you factor in all the previous tips, you will be on the right road to better managing the demands that come with being the parent of a healthy, happy, active child, and that can only be a good thing!
The importance of a positive mental attitude will shine through from you and reflect on your children. They’re pretty smart, after all, and they can tell!
