On Scheduling

I love to plan. It is one of my favorite parts of preparing to start school. I have found, however, that plans change, moment by moment, and the schedule needs to be a guideline, rather than a hard and fast rule. This is especially true if there are younger children in the house. They change ‘with each passing glance,’ as Randy Stonehill says. What worked in the morning may not work in the afternoon.

My friend and I have been passing schedules back and forth. We learn a lot from each other and find that it is beneficial to share our ideas for our homes. She has 9 children at home, all under the age of 14. More power to her! I have a mere 6 at home, from age 6 to 18. So my house schedule looks a bit different than hers.

The purpose of scheduling is to meet several levels of need. The younger children need the familiarity and the routine. This helps them develop a sense of purpose for their days. For moms, we need the routine in order to slay the dragons of our lives. Confusion is a tool of the devil. God is orderly and precise. But underlying that order is a sense of purpose, an ultimate goal for our betterment that is reached through the tool of orderliness. Another purpose of the schedule is to train the older children in priorities. They are in the process of learning how to order their own lives. Little by little we hand over the scheduling process to them, allowing them to discern what is good and what is best. My friend’s oldest daughter sets her own schedule, at age 14. She has researched what is required for graduation and has laid out a course for the next 4 years to accomplish that goal. Within that structure, you can see what is important to her, and how God might use this young woman for His purposes in her future. My 15ds is also accomplishing this task, setting his schedule in order to achieve the best graduation scenario and a path for success in his future. In this process, they are learning to be responsible for their own choices, while still under the guidance of moms and dads who have already been there.

I am a coach for my 18ds. I have laid out what he needs and he has determined to alter it according to what he sees are his needs. We are a team, laying the groundwork for his future goals. He is unclear, at present, what that road will ultimately look like, but the parameters are being set as we work together.

A people with vision will thrive before the Lord.