Step one is common sense, but it cannot be underestimated: know your objective. Let’s face it, driving a car full of kids to a soccer game in and of itself sounds incredibly easy, but if one of these kids’ moms suddenly cannot come to pick up the child? What if someone gets injured? What about little Sue’s sister’s ballet lesson that is only a five-minute drive from the soccer field? What is your objective? It is easy to fall into the trap of alleged teamwork, with your being the only one working. If you are willing to take a van full of children to the game, but will not be able or willing to supervise them after the initial drop off, please be sure to communicate this clearly. The children’s parents need to understand that you will be glad to get them to the game, but getting them home, or getting their siblings to ballet lessons, is out of the scope of your objective.

This note ties in with step number two: learn to say “no” and mean it. Once you know your objective and have built your schedule around it, avoid exceptions. These exceptions are sometimes unavoidable, such as an injury on the soccer field, but oftentimes are simply the result of the poor planning of others. Remember that your job is not to rescue another parent every time they have over-scheduled themselves, but instead your job is to see to it that you and your children will enjoy the time you have at soccer, learn the game, interact with friends, and do so without the stress and panic that goes hand in hand with poor planning. So if another parent asks you to take little Sue’s sister to ballet practice, and if this will upset your whole schedule, since it might require you to pull your son out of practice early, politely but firmly say “no.”

Steps three and four go hand in hand: begin each month with a to-do list that covers that particular month only, and then allocate sufficient time to the tasks. For example, does a particular month host the biggest game of the season? If so, you will want to adjust your time schedule to permit for extra practice sessions, awards banquets, and trips to the trophy shop. This may mean that your child’s other activities may need to be rescheduled or alternate rides may need to be secured to assure that everyone’s needs are met. Do not spread yourself so thin that an awards banquet leaves you in a lousy, stressed out mood!

And last, but not least, step number five: have fun and enjoy the process rather than the result!

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