One piece of proactive parenting

Today I've been to my final Friday morning ladies Bible study at church, followed by going out to lunch together. Thankfully there were no painful goodbye speeches or presentations like there might be at a Japanese farewell.

Tonight I'm going with the youth group for the final event of the term. They're rock climbing.

Tomorrow we're holding an open event in the park for anyone who wants to come and say hi.

Sunday we stop sleeping here, moving out so that we can finish packing up and cleaning the house (you can't pack fully when you are still using things like sheets, towel, and kitchen stuff).

And on the list goes.

I got tired yesterday of telling the boys about all the events coming up in our lives over the next weeks. So I made a calendar detailing all that we know about the next three months, especially big things, like changes of residence and when planes leave etc.

Today I was talking with a friend who still has little ones, explaining how our stage of parenting has its own challenges when you're undergoing big transitions. In particular you need to try to get the kids on-board for various family events that impact them. In the changes coming up, many of the decisions we've made without their input and have a dramatic consequences for them. They can feel very disempowered and therefore very resistant. At least this is my family. My boys like to know what's coming up. Surprises, especially for one of them, aren't appreciated.

Last night the calendar I'd created made for interesting reading for them all. I hope that it will continue to help them anticipate changes and make our journey as a family smoother, with less complaints.