Frantic Frazzled Families
Too Stressed Out to Enjoy Life or Each Other
Have you ever been in such a hurry that you’ve left the fast food drive-through without the food? Well, you are not alone… For most of us, life has become too fast, too busy, too stressful. We’re feeling dizzybusy and there’s little time left at the end of the day to connect as a family and create the loving, safe haven we all need at home.
We know what we want for our families: loving connections, strong values, and happy holiday memories that will bring our loved ones back home time and again. But our “fairytale” image of what a happy home looks like is often far from our day-to-day reality. Instead of doing what we know in our hearts we should be doing, we are busy doing what our world makes us think we should be doing. We are rushing our kids to more and more activities, at ever-younger ages, in an effort to prepare them for the best schools so they can get into the best universities and get the best jobs. Quick! Now! No one has time to eat dinner together, let alone to talk and really connect.
Too Stressed Out to Enjoy Life or Each Other
Have you ever been in such a hurry that you’ve left the fast food drive-through without the food? Well, you are not alone… For most of us, life has become too fast, too busy, too stressful. We’re feeling dizzybusy and there’s little time left at the end of the day to connect as a family and create the loving, safe haven we all need at home.
We know what we want for our families: loving connections, strong values, and happy holiday memories that will bring our loved ones back home time and again. But our “fairytale” image of what a happy home looks like is often far from our day-to-day reality. Instead of doing what we know in our hearts we should be doing, we are busy doing what our world makes us think we should be doing. We are rushing our kids to more and more activities, at ever-younger ages, in an effort to prepare them for the best schools so they can get into the best universities and get the best jobs. Quick! Now! No one has time to eat dinner together, let alone to talk and really connect.
We pass in and out of our houses without seeing each other. Parents are allowing their children to stay up later since they feel guilty for not being as available as they should be, which then cuts into parents’ quiet time. Couples have no time to talk about their day, their kids, or their work. They don’t have the energy to provide the mutual support and comfort they both need, let alone have time for intimacy. The busier our lives become, the more downtime we need to soothe our bodies and minds and to repair the wear and tear of stress. But sleep is becoming a limited resource. We are often tired, cranky and impatient.
So, we miss appointments, we’re late picking up our kids, we forget the tooth fairy, and we don’t hear half of what our kids tell us. We look around for our glasses and find them on our heads. Well, I’ve done all those things myself, including driving away from the hamburger joint with no food. I’ve even left my keys in the lock on the outside of my front door — overnight, shining in the moonlight for everyone to see. One of the best dizzybusy stories I have heard lately was about a woman who was so impatient and distracted that she pushed the button on her garage door opener and, without thinking, ran her car right into the door before it could open.
That’s DIZZYBUSY. We don’t feel like we’re doing a good job at anything, and we feel guilty a lot of the time. This dizzybusy lifestyle is having a serious impact on our family life and on our children. A lot of research has been done on the importance of the family dinner hour:
Some Surprising Statistics
about family dinners
Family dinners have decreased by 33% over the past 20 years
Teens who do not have frequent family dinners (3 or more a week) are:
4x more likely to use marijuana
2x as likely to use alcohol
59% of teens are eating dinner at home alone
Parents claim their teens are resistant or too busy to come to the dinner table... yet
84% of teens say they prefer eating dinner as a family
So, what do these statistics tell us? First, that dinner together as a family is critical (it helps us stay connected and aware of what’s going in each other’s lives). And second, that our teenagers want us to want them at the dinner table, but they don’t want us to know that they want us to want them there. Did you get that?
So, what can we do to compensate for our dizzybusy lifestyles? How can we find, and model, for our children, that balance we so desperately need? How do we stay focused on what’s important?
It's easier than we think to get back to the basics of a simple, joyful, meaningful life. It’s not about doing more. It’s about doing less and doing the right things. The happyhome habits are based on the five “protective factors” decades of research has shown families need to be strong, connected and happy. Visit the happyhome club online and join the thousands of families who are experiencing the powerful difference these simple habits can make in their lives. Take part in the life-changing happyhome challenge and earn free products that will enrich your family life at home...because happyhomes don’t just happen.
So, we miss appointments, we’re late picking up our kids, we forget the tooth fairy, and we don’t hear half of what our kids tell us. We look around for our glasses and find them on our heads. Well, I’ve done all those things myself, including driving away from the hamburger joint with no food. I’ve even left my keys in the lock on the outside of my front door — overnight, shining in the moonlight for everyone to see. One of the best dizzybusy stories I have heard lately was about a woman who was so impatient and distracted that she pushed the button on her garage door opener and, without thinking, ran her car right into the door before it could open.
That’s DIZZYBUSY. We don’t feel like we’re doing a good job at anything, and we feel guilty a lot of the time. This dizzybusy lifestyle is having a serious impact on our family life and on our children. A lot of research has been done on the importance of the family dinner hour:
Some Surprising Statistics
about family dinners
Family dinners have decreased by 33% over the past 20 years
Teens who do not have frequent family dinners (3 or more a week) are:
4x more likely to use marijuana
2x as likely to use alcohol
59% of teens are eating dinner at home alone
Parents claim their teens are resistant or too busy to come to the dinner table... yet
84% of teens say they prefer eating dinner as a family
So, what do these statistics tell us? First, that dinner together as a family is critical (it helps us stay connected and aware of what’s going in each other’s lives). And second, that our teenagers want us to want them at the dinner table, but they don’t want us to know that they want us to want them there. Did you get that?
So, what can we do to compensate for our dizzybusy lifestyles? How can we find, and model, for our children, that balance we so desperately need? How do we stay focused on what’s important?
It's easier than we think to get back to the basics of a simple, joyful, meaningful life. It’s not about doing more. It’s about doing less and doing the right things. The happyhome habits are based on the five “protective factors” decades of research has shown families need to be strong, connected and happy. Visit the happyhome club online and join the thousands of families who are experiencing the powerful difference these simple habits can make in their lives. Take part in the life-changing happyhome challenge and earn free products that will enrich your family life at home...because happyhomes don’t just happen.
