{"id":101417,"date":"2020-08-27T13:50:42","date_gmt":"2020-08-27T19:50:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/?p=101417"},"modified":"2020-08-27T13:50:42","modified_gmt":"2020-08-27T19:50:42","slug":"sharing-the-load-for-back-to-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/articles\/topics\/parenting\/parenting-challenges\/frazzled-family\/sharing-the-load-for-back-to-school\/","title":{"rendered":"Sharing the Load for Back to School"},"content":{"rendered":"
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One of my favorite podcasts and tagline is: \u201cThe Lazy Genius: Be a genius about the things that matter, and lazy about the things that don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

If ever there was a time to \u201cLazy Genius\u201d our lives, my friends, that time is now.<\/p>\n

This pandemic has lasted far beyond what any of us imagined. I was hopeful my daughter would start at her new elementary school in person. Instead, my husband went from working-at-home to working in an office, my daughter began our district\u2019s virtual-instruction option, and I just navigated a day of back-to-back virtual meetings for both me and my 7-year-old, while my 3-year-old climbed on my back and tried to \u201cborrow\u201d my earbuds.<\/p>\n

I thought the spring and summer were exhausting, but so far? This. is. Worse.<\/p>\n

Whatever strategies you hacked together to survive spring and summer (with quarantining, social distancing, and all the other words you are sick of), you will likely need new ones. Whether your whole family is still home or some (or all) of you are back outside the home, when school starts, it brings a new season. And new seasons need new rhythms.<\/p>\n

Maybe all of this stay-at-home stuff has been a dream. Maybe it\u2019s been a nightmare. Either way, with back to school in full swing, we have the opportunity to craft something for our families that works for everyone. And that starts with sharing the load.<\/p>\n

Sharing the load: challenge or opportunity? Yes.<\/h2>\n

This is a challenging time. None of us has ever<\/em> done this before. It\u2019s okay and normal to think life is stressful and hard right now. And yet\u2014you\u2019ve heard it before and may have even said it to your children\u2014a challenge is actually an opportunity in disguise (or mask. Ha!).<\/p>\n

Now is a great time to re-evaluate how you and your spouse operate when it comes to running your family\u2019s life, sharing the load and responsibilities for \u201call the things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even if you already divide up responsibilities equally, take a look at everything on your collective plate and make sure you can both reasonably handle your load.<\/p>\n

When the lockdowns first started to hit in the spring, everything but the absolute essentials were stripped away. As schools and extracurricular activities re-open, for some, schedules may go back to something like normal. But for others, normal just isn\u2019t an option yet. The budget is a little leaner, or you don\u2019t feel comfortable putting yourself or kids back in activities yet, or both.<\/p>\n

Still, life must go on: children need educating and caregiving, parents need to work, groceries need buying, clothes need laundering.<\/p>\n

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So take a minute to take a breath and think true thoughts. First and foremost, God is still God. He is still patient, attentive, and in control. Being aware of such weakness in and around us\u2014while extremely uncomfortable\u2014is a gift that reminds us His grace is sufficient, His power made perfect in weakness (see 2 Corinthians 12:9<\/a>). Take time to reflect and re-evaluate.<\/p>\n

While you\u2019re breathing, think about what is truly most important to you. Is it the i\u2019s being dotted and the t\u2019s being crossed? Or is it that you and your family offer real presence to each other, along with kindness and grace?<\/p>\n

I personally struggle with a brand of perfectionism that nags me to \u201chave it all together\u201d (or at least appear to). In other words, I\u2019d like for the jots and tittles to be in order and<\/em> to relate to my family with unending patience and grace. Unfortunately, especially in times of stress and crisis, both are not always possible.<\/p>\n

If we each take time to think about what\u2019s most important and what may be a challenge to that value, when the times come to make tough choices, we\u2019ll be prepared to choose from a place of our deeper priorities rather than stress.<\/p>\n

Take time to ask yourself the following:<\/p>\n