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What is a Family Manager and How Can They Motivate You? |
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Written by Vanessa Van Petten
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Parenting Coach, Family Manager, Life Trainer, Family Mentor, what do
all of these names mean? A few months ago, I
couldn’t have told you. The title,
“Family Coach” and the fabulous opportunity to give
families control over their time, actually fell into my lap.
A family coach or family manager, helps a family gain time, efficiency
and balance by coming into their home and helping them manage
everything: cooking meals, chore management, work out schedules and
even throwing your children’s birthday parties.
Many parents are not only trying to juggle their own activities,
career, household and health, but they also have to manage their
children’s homework, meals, school activities,
extra-curricular and personal development. I remember what it
was like for my mom when there were four kids and only one of
her. It was stressful for her and for the kids because there
was just too much to do, too many complex schedules and not enough time
in the day.
I started working with families myself, helping parents communicate
with their kids, organizing school desks so students could find and do
homework more successfully, and I realized that ‘family
managing’ goes beyond the family planning 101 of adding to do
lists, making meal plans and delegating chores.
‘Family planning’ is really a time where a family
can sit down and think about what they want out of life.
I began to involve all members of the family to set goals, not only in
the house, but also in their lives. What do we want out of
life and what is holding us back? Although this seems a far
cry from alphabetizing the pantry, you would be surprised how many of
the families and teens I work with use clutter, lack of time and lost
relationships as an excuse for not striving to achieve their goals.
The family makeover is a time where the family can reset, and we can
look at the excuses for not achieving goals such as getting in shape,
eating right, spending time with the kids and doing some freelance
writing. We then tackle the excuses; we make time, space and
find ways where each family can support each other with their
goals. Many family members, before resetting, do not even
know what each other’s goals are!
I wanted to explain that family management can help get rid of clutter
and stop the morning chaos, but it is also a tool to help bond with
each other and motivate yourself and your family in other areas of your
life. Every person and every family is different, and
sometimes people need a little extra help to get things kick started.
When I come into a house I try very hard to make sure that kids and
parents understand that I simply want to show them where to start, to
have balance in all areas of their life without judgment or criticism.
About Vanessa
Vanessa is the Creator of RRules.com - an Editing Parenting Guide and
Teen Encyclopedia. Her mission is to improve parent and teen
relationships and their individual lifestyles. Read her Profile or
visit her Blog Page - Vanessa Van Petten
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