If your teen is active with one or more sports, you may understandably feel the stress associated with leading a chaotic life. Your teen may have numerous practices, games and more that you need to attend throughout the week. You may also have your own work responsibilities, home responsibilities and activities of other children to manage. Because of all of these factors, you can easily feel as though you are being pulled in every direction on a daily basis. These tips can help you to better manage your life and reduce your stress level.
Avoid Over-Scheduling Your Child with Numerous Activities
When your teen loves a sport or physical activity, you understandably may want him or her exposed to every training session and advancement opportunity possible. However, over-scheduling your child with extra training sessions, camps and more can unnecessarily complicate your life. Furthermore, many of these activities are simply not necessary. Consider how far your teen can possibly advance in the sport as well as the importance of balancing your life and your family life as a while. You may want to be fully supportive, but you also should be realistic for the benefit of your entire family.
Manage Doctor and Dental Visits Properly
Many teens have numerous doctor and dental appointments. This may be for well-checks, for braces and orthodontics treatments, for injuries and more. Some weeks, it may seem as though you are taking your teen to at least one or two appointments per week. It is best to find healthcare and dental providers that have flexible office hours to accommodate your busy schedule. For example, being able to schedule visits before or after school and work can make it easier for you to manage your other commitments while getting your child the care or treatment he or she needs.
It should also be noted that you need to be familiar with your dentist’s emergency policies or where else you can go for services that you just can’t wait to get. If your child is in need of emergency dental services in Channahon, IL, or wherever you happen to be or live due to a sporting accident, then you need to know where you can go. Many games are on Saturdays and that happens to be the days many medical facilities shut down. Check with your local dentist about your options and make sure that you write down what those emergency options are and keep that information either on your phone or in your wallet.
Find a Scheduling App
Between your teen’s commitments and your own, it can be difficult to keep track of everything you need to do. You run the very real possibility of overbooking yourself or your teen, of forgetting important meetings or even overlooking paying bills. The good news is that there are some excellent scheduling apps that can help you to stay organized and on track. You may need to try out several options before you find the one that is best-suited for your specific needs. There are also apps designed to help carpooling parents that can be used for easier financial management and more. Make full use of these great resources to simplify your life.
Network with Other Busy Parents
There are many other parents who share your same stresses and challenges. Networking with other parents at your children’s schools or on their sports teams can help you to manage your schedule better. For example, you can set up a carpool with other parents so that you only have to drive kids to practice every third or fourth day rather than daily. Carpools may also be necessary before and after school, for games or other events and more. Remember that both mothers and fathers can equally share the carpooling responsibilities, and this can save you time as well.
While parents of active teens may be busier than parents of teens from decades ago, there are excellent resources available for parents to rely on today as well as strategies to follow that were not available in the past. Remember that your own stress level as a parent can affect your teen as well as your entire family. It is critical that you find a way to better cope with your busy schedule, and each of these ideas can benefit you and your family in different ways.
