News Letter from SECC Children's Ministry...A MUST READ!

Take charge of your schedules

School bells bring super-sized family calendars. Even busy toddlers now seem to need their own social secretaries. We hear a lot lately about children who are hurried, harried, and overscheduled. Research shows that kids—and families—are paying the price for always being busy.

Now there’s a renewed emphasis to provide plenty of free time and just let kids be kids. It’s possible to grow your children’s talents and give them lots of opportunities without injecting extra stress. This newsletter explores ideas for keeping a healthy balance between busyness and rest.

Here are a few to spark your thinking:
Sign up with care — Now is the time to limit activities, before you dive into too many. Be realistic about how many activities your family can handle — and about the amount of homework time and sleep that each child needs.

Evaluate talents — Ask each child about his or her preferences. Which sport or activity means the most to each? Which are they willing to cut? Of course, parents make the final decision. Kids can’t decide to skip a church activity that you’ve decided is nonnegotiable.

Schedule family time — Block this out on your calendar, just like you would other important obligations. Plan at least a couple of hours a week for together time, and don’t let other duties interfere.

Ask God:
1. To help you wisely manage your family’s time.
2. To help your children learn to set priorities.
3. To protect your family from busyness and stress—and to help family
members cherish time spent with one another.

***This does not apply to parents alone. It applies to everyone who is involved in a child's life***

When families get too busy, relationships and priorities get out of whack. Discover how your children feel about spending time by asking them these questions:

1. Talk about a time you were really busy. What did you like and
not like about it?

2. What are your favorite activities to do alone and as a family?
What do you wish we’d do together more, and why?

3. If you could spend more time doing any one thing, what would it
be, and why?

4. How do you think God feels when we’re busy? Is it okay to be
busy doing things for God and the church?

Culture & Trends
What’s happening right now that may affect your children and family:

• With the tough economy, stay-at-home moms are
truly staying home. Women report cutting
back on errands and feeling more stressed out
and socially isolated.
(msnbc.com)

• 45% of American adults expect their children’s
standard of living to be better than theirs is;
20% say it will be the same; and 28% say it
will be worse.
(gallup.com)

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Quick Stats

• 11% of children ages 12 and younger complain of
being tired during the day “often” or “always.”

• 15% of children told their parents that they
had fallen asleep at school during the past year.
(sleepfoundation.org)