• Curriculum Overview
• Afternoons
• Events and Celebrations
• Service Learning and Partnerships
• Special Assemblies
• Mini Courses

The Age of the Busy Parent
By Jona Harvey*, SRV Board Member and PCO Co-Chair

Are you a busier parent than you thought you might be? Are your daily demands dramatically more draining than they were even three years ago? There is something insidious about the demands being made on us today by the very technology that is supposed to be making our lives easier. There is an unending "to do" pressure I call "The Tyranny of Technology".

Five years ago, coming home took me about 20 minutes. Today, coming home can take over 2 hours by the time you:

• check and answer today's mail AND e-mail;
• respond to land line AND cell phone messages;
• update your calendar, and your spouse's with incoming deadlines and due dates;
• arrange child care;
• put away groceries, purchases, their receipts, etc.;
• scour your cupboards, freezer and fridge to create a relaxed and meaningful family meal time;
• unpack our children's backpacks, skim pertinent material, and update your calendars again, setting aside more detailed reading for later;
• plan play dates, social experiences, public experiences, extra-curricular activities, cultural events, or restful downtime for your child or children;
• enjoy quality time with your child(ren);
• have a life, contact with friends, earn money, pay the bills and attempt to be a relaxed, patient and friendly person.

Help!

One thing that has consistently helped me over the years was teaming up with other SRV parents and taking turns with play dates and outings so that I could shrink my "to do" list, have fun, and spend more quality time with my child and his friends.

The other thing that helped me was to lean on SRV events a bit. Instead of trying to go it on my own, I often put my minimal spare volunteer hours into the family events and school events at SRV that were already harmonious, humane and organized. While expecting pretty minimal effort from me, my child reaped big rewards and I also got some social time with other adults.

Let us try to balance the "Tyranny of Technology" by using our school community as a place in which we can counter the demands of our busy lives with plenty of human contact and laughter.

*Parents and board members are welcome to submit articles for the FREEP. See Dana for details.