Work-Life Balance for ParentsNäide

Where I live in Austria, we just finished our fourth lockdown. It is always fascinating to me to see the importance of routine in my children’s life. In the day-to-day, I tend to believe routine isn’t that important, but once our day-to-day routine is no longer possible, the evidence is overwhelming for how important a routine actually is.

During the lockdown, normal events and outings, like church or gymnastics, were postponed, so we attempted to establish as much routine as possible each day. We ate at the same time, did our chores and played at the same time, and went on long evening walks. Our kids were still bouncing off the walls, but at least it was bearable for everyone. Now that we are out of the lockdown, a normal routine is reigning again and my children’s energy level is back to normal, their focus is back to normal, and their contentment is now on track.

Routine wasn’t always so important for me, particularly during the summer since I let everything slide a bit. But the lockdowns this past year have so clearly communicated to me how important routine actually is; I’ve become rather strict about it.

We also established a routine of advent during Christmas. I cannot recommend this enough during this time of year. We read an advent story each day, have a treat from our advent calendar, and watch a little video each day that provides fresh insight into the Christmas story. I hope to develop family devotions out of this routine after the Christmas season is over.

Certainly, routines are meant to be broken. Next week is Christmas vacation and we will enjoy a break in our routine. All in all, however, routines allow peace to reign in our homes and in our lives. They are worth establishing and practicing since there is so much we can learn -- and so can our children.