Parenting in the new reality

Today I want to share about parenting in the new reality and some tough decisions that we made. I want you to start thinking about some stuff  as we start rolling into fall.

What are you going to do with your kids? How are you going to parent? What do you want to keep? 

What parenting in the new reality means to me

This new reality has been hard.  As you know, I run two businesses. And there's never enough time in the day.  As I'm recording the podcast at 9:45pm, I can hear Erik still awake.

Welcome to the new Florida reality. That is something that I was not prepared for.  The sun goes down so late, and Erik has a hard time going to sleep until it is pitch dark. So that's a fun part of our new reality.

As I write this, the COVID case numbers are going up again in Florida. And many parents are trying to figure out what they're going to do for fall.

Switching gears in this new reality

When we first got here and we were trying to manage everything, we ended up putting Erik in a Montessori summer camp.  Initially, he really liked it. And then he decided he missed mom and dad. We really missed him too.

We were planning to keep him there in the fall. But my mama heart wants to homeschool. I've always wanted to homeschool even before we had Erik. I love working with Erik.  It light my fire up to see him be so intellectually curious.

So we decided that we are going to homeschool. We pulled him out of the program. And now he is home with us.  I'm very excited, but at the same time scared.  I'm scared because I know how much work I have to do and how much stuff we have going on. And so managing all that will be tough.

My schedule 

As I'm looking at my schedule, we are figuring out who else we can potentially hire to help us. Plus I have to balance all that with the budget and the reality of our income. 

We all have a limited amount of money and of time. So you need to figure out how to manage that the best that you can to have the best life for your kids and you.

Spend time figuring out things while parenting in the new reality

Spend some time figuring out what has worked or not.  One thing that has worked well for us is having dinner together. It's a game changer. It doesn't matter what we have for dinner. But just sitting outside talking, laughing and eating dinner, is the best part of our day.

Another thing that you need to think about is doing things together and spending time together. That is so important.  For us, doing something together after dinner is important. Having a lazy Saturday morning is also important.

Make a list of things that you want to do, as well as things you want to avoid. You need to go back to what you want your life to look like, especially as things are returning to a new normal.

If you are not intentional about designing the life you want, it's not going to happen.  You need to visualize the type of business and life you want. Ask yourself:

• What does that look like?
• How do you feel?
• Regarding work, how much do you work and how many clients do you have or want to have?
• What do you want in your life?
• Do you want to avoid certain things? What do you want to avoid?

If you don't think about those things, you just kind of flow with whatever is happening. Even if you don't like it. 

As moms, you work hard, but sometimes you just don't take the time to think if that is what you want.  Many times it is not what you want for you or for your kids.

And as I started being more intentional in our days and in our mornings, I've just enjoyed it more. What I want for you is to have the time to make memories and take time for those moment.