Rhythm
Posted on: November 10, 2012
Having trouble establishing a routine at your place with your kids?
I have always struggled with routine – kids, work, study, after school activities, and the dogs like to be fed every now and again.
That is, until I learnt to substitute the word “routine” with “rhythm”. It suddenly all made sense. It became easier to put boundaries in place, to ask my children to help with tasks like setting and clearing the table and getting things ready for school, to get up in the morning (bedtime is still a work-in-progress!), and so on.
For some reason, “routine” meant I did all of the directing and work. Routine, to me, felt onerous and burdensome and inflexible. Now with “rhythm” we work together more as a family. Everything flows a lot better. The rhythm can be fast or slow (the difference between break-dancing and a waltz) and fit in with where you are in the moment. Rhythm is kinder.
What a difference a word can make.
So, if routine isn’t working for you, you might like to give rhythm a try. Below are some articles you can look up to find out more about establishing rhythm at your place…
Rhythms and Routines: The flow of the day
Five tips for creating family routines and establishing rhythm in your homehttp://simplekids.net/establishing-routines/
Rhythms and Routines: The flow of the week
Small steps, big changes: Developing a new routine, 15 minutes at a time
Evening tasks for an easier morning
Rhythm in action: Real family routines for morning, mealtime, and evenings
What do you think? Where do you think you’ll start?
