Fall Scheduling

With it being the first week of September, that means that school has started and fall is on its way. This is the perfect time of year to reevaluate ourselves and how we spend our time. How are you going to spend your time this fall?


One of our consultants, Nicole Davis, shared how she has been reevaluating herself for fall:

As a new mom, I have gone from working full-time, to part-time so it has allowed me to spend time with my son. Over the past week I have been thinking about how easy it is for me to over-schedule our time together. I have always been one who doesn't like to miss out on any events or gatherings, and has a hard time telling others "no" when I am asked for assistance. I have been able to break down the word "over-scheduling" into three different categories that have helped me reevaluate and manage my time better.


1. Over scheduling ourselves (meeting friends for lunch, running errands... etc.)

2. Over scheduling our kids (signing them up for sports, music lessons, cooking classes, academic tutoring... etc.)

3. Over scheduling our minds (not unplugging from the world - phone calls, texts, social media... etc.)


So what is the solution? I have found that for me, it is helpful to schedule time to sit on the family room floor and play with my son. The more I take the time to unplug from the rest of the world and spend time with my son, the more I realize how fun it is to get to know his little personality better. I love our time together, and fear that these moments why he is young are going to slip through my fingers quickly as he grows up. Scheduling events for both me and my family are fun, needed, and very valuable, but I am going to make it a personal goal to keep all of our scheduling in moderation. What is the solution for you?

A Loving Mother Teaches Her Child To Walk Alone

"The loving mother teaches her child to walk alone. She is far enough from him that she cannot actually support him, but she holds out her arms to him. She imitates his movements and, if he totters, she swiftly bends as if to seize him, so that the child might believe that he is not walking alone...And yet, she does more. Her face beckons like a reward, an encouragement. Thus, the child walks alone with his eyes fixed on his mother's face, not on the difficulties in his way. He supports himself by the arms that do not hold him and constantly strives towards the refuge in his mother's embrace, little suspecting that in the very same moment that he is emphasizing his need for her, he is proving that he can do without her, because he is walking alone." 

-Soren Kierkegaard

The Power of Pausing & Slowing Down

When interacting with your child, are you ever caught off guard and don't know how to react? RDI Consultant Carol Subramani wrote a great article on pausing and slowing down, and how beneficial it is during these moments. Here is an excerpt from Carol's article published on RDI Connect:


As a parent, a pause provides you with an opportunity to choose your response or you can act on impulse.  Impulse says, “tell him what to do” or “he has not moved – I’ll point in the direction of his sandals” or “I’ll give him the remote so he stops screaming”.  It feels good in the moment that you have taken an action but it is not mindful.

You can use the power of the pause to change from emotional reactions to thoughtful responses. Whether you’re reacting to provocations or trigger words, remind yourself that you can pause to choose your best response.

A pause in the right place at the right time gives YOU:

• time to breath
• time to consider what it is you’re going to do or say next
• time to observe, receive and digest the feedback you are getting from your child

A pause in the right place at the right time gives YOUR CHILD:

• time to breathe
• time to consider or to let the images or ideas you’ve given them ‘flower’ in their minds
• time to process, understand or  summarize what’s been said
• time to prepare for what may be coming next

Consider this, you can:

• Pause before a particular important point to increase tension and add emphasis.  Pausing at irregular points can also increase tension.
• Pause after important points in order to let what you said or did, sink in.
• Combine pauses with dramatic action, such as uncovering something, pointing to something important, etc.
• Use non-verbal signals to emphasize the pause. A simple way of doing this is to freeze the body, perhaps with an expectant expression on your face.

Click here to read the entire article published on RDI Connect.