Insider tips on how you can better manage parent admin
In the event that you’re struggling with parent admin, we’ve compiled the best hacks possible to get you through Monday to Friday unscathed.
Being a parent in 2021 is not for sissies! If it’s not the safety of our children, their nutritional intake, or the homework they haven’t done that keeps us up at night, it is the endless stream of content available to them on a number of different screens. The mental load that parents carry is often spoken about, but largely unseen. On top of work responsibilities and the basics of running a functional household, the responsibility carried by a mother or father to ensure the happiness of their children is extensive. There’s Show and Tell to prepare for, projects and assignments that need to be completed, bake sales to cater for, colour-coded outfits to plan for, tours to consider, and more.
Get yourself an egg timer
Did you know that international studies have shown that the most effective study sessions include up to 25 minutes of work followed by a 5-minute break? The use of an egg timer can prove critical to stopping your child from asking you repeatedly if the period is up yet. Reward each session successfully completed. Hopefully, after just one or two sessions (age-dependent) the work for the day is complete and you’re free to continue with your own tasks instead of hounding your child to do their homework.
Turn to technology
Many South African schools make use of platforms and apps to communicate with parents and assist them with remembering things like payments and special events. These are especially useful for parents that don’t often visit the school to read a notice board or chat with a teacher. One good example is an app called Karri. Between fundraising drives, bake sales, and costumes for concerts, it’s sometimes hard to keep track of small payments going to the school. On Karri, payments are quickly loaded by the school for parents to approve (even school fees if you choose). The app is available for download on iStore and Google Play and registering an account takes less than a minute.
Shared Google calendar
When it comes to older kids, keeping tabs on their activities, in and out of school, can be challenging. When there are different parties involved in fetching and carrying them it becomes even more of a nightmare. A shared Google calendar can solve the miscommunication and ease up the amount of information sharing before the week starts. Family members and caregivers have access to the full calendar, requirements for each day, and reminders for items to have with them, for example, swimming cap and goggles!
Organise your kid’s memories
Tossing the precious red smudge that your child created at school and brought home especially for you is always accompanied by a tinge of guilt. Luckily, there’s an app to help. Keepy is an app that allows you to organise, save, privately share and treasure your kids’ memories as they grow. The app keeps artwork, schoolwork, an award or a photo for as long as you need and makes binning that gorgeous creation that much easier.
Celebrate the small stuff
Our country is full of bad news at the moment and sadly, our kids are just as exposed to it as we are. Take the time each evening around the dinner table, or even in the car on the way home, to chat to your kids about the good parts of their day. Highlight moments to be thankful for, achievements to be proud of and relationships to nurture.
