According to the New York Times, the main way the Obama parents are keeping their girls' feet on the ground is by keeping their routine steady. Even when dad's flying around the country and mom is making appearances, grandma is home to pick up the slack and keep things running according to schedule.
I admit, when I think about how I'd handle something like raising kids in the White House (and yes, it's a fantastical stretch to think about it), I must concur that routine would be my primary tool for keeping everyone sane. Why? Because our routine keeps us from falling apart in our own, admittedly smaller, but still challenging challenges.
Since my kids were tiny babies, I've observed them settle into their own routines (beginning with eating and sleeping and pooping, moving onto playing actively versus enjoying quiet time as they get a little older) and then protected those routines by putting concrete walls around them. We have a schedule that is the same within maybe a 5% margin of flexibility that we follow almost every single day, almost no matter where we are. (Obviously on an airplane or in a multi-hour car trip, there has to be a bit more flex.)
I am a firm believer in using routines to give kids a sense of security, stability and confidence that they can understand their world and it will not spin out of control. I also find that keeping to a routine 99% of the time makes for an easier rebound when that routine is necessarily disrupted for an emergency or special occasion.
How about your family? Do you find routines helpful? Do you have a schedule? How rigidly do you hold onto it?
see also:
Obamas Go On a Date: Do You?
They Say: Teens Want to Help Their Parents
image: nytimes.com
