The Overextended High Schooler

It seems like things really pick up in high school with our kids. There are social activities with friends, church activities, schoolwork, volunteer work, etc. It can be very, easy for the high schooler to become over extended. We have fallen into this trap a few times over the years and here is how we now avoid it. We have a calendar on the wall in the kitchen just for Petunia. This way it is easy for her to see what she has going on and she learns to manage her time. Assignment due dates are written in red, church activities in blue, social activities in black, other miscellaneous stuff in purple and college prep activities (scholarship application deadlines)in green. All of this is written on her calendar, so she can see before making plans what she has going on that week. If it is a busy week, then she can see that and decline an invitation for something if needed. Our kids don't have to participate in everything and it is ok to say no! Sometimes those volunteer things need to be limited, or they may not need to go to every football game with friends that are in regular school. Or they can plan their time so that they can get what they need done, and then plan fun time with friends or going with the church on another activity. They can also see when they might need to say no simply because they need to rest. For us this works out better than a planner because we can see the whole month and I can help keep track of what she has going on. When she had the planner I had to remember to ask her for it, or I had to ask if she had anything planned if I was setting something up for her. I try to let her decide her schedule and activities because she is at that age where she has to learn to manage her time herself. But I am still here to make suggestions and offer guidance and this is much easier when I can see everything at a glance. Hope this helps. Blessings, Kat