Family Management

Get Your Family’s Act Together

Children behave better when they’re not in a stressful, chaotic environment.

• First, make sure you have your own mental and emotional health in order. Also check your substance use and abuse.
• Next, check your adult relationships: are they healthy and positive?
  • Your relationship with other adults who live in the home.
  • Your relationship with adults you co-parent with who don’t live with you.
  • Do you have at least one adult you can trust?
    • To be back-up for childcare.
    • To be an emotional support for you.
    • (These can be the same person, or two different people).
  • No other adults in the home? Don’t make your child your confidant. Find another adult to share your worries, problems and complaints with.
  • Do you have a wider support system? Neighborhood, church community, extended family?
• Check your money management – paying bills, planning for the future: this is an area that can be stressful, and can add more stress if you don’t manage it on a regular basis.
• Time management – Do you have time each week for work, kids, home, and self?
  • Schedules – don’t overschedule yourself or your children! Make sure your kids and you have some down time.  Boredom in children is where creativity and imagination grow, and down time in parents is where patience grows!
• Life administration – read the directions and follow them, such as school communications and doctor’s orders. Make note of calendar dates, due dates, and to-do items, and follow through on time. This decreases last-minute panic and the stress that comes from missing something important.
• Big changes in your family? Stressful events such as changes in relationships, changes in who lives in the home, divorce, remarriage, moving, etc. can be difficult for children. These changes can build up, so if possible, try not to change too many things in your child’s life all at once.