Replies to 'Balancing Work and Family'

I just read your message.  I hope you are checking for replies still.  

I feel your exhaustion.  I work at a pediatric hospital where everything is urgent and critical.  I am so stressed by my coworkers and the demands of perfection.  I go home to an ADD/ severe ADHD child that has some learning disabilities.  I have  3 hours to fix dinner, eat, clean up, do homework (he's not able to do homework without constant one on one attention at the 3rd grade level because of ADD).  Then do any chores, run any last minute errands, baths and ready for the next  day.  Some nights we have soccer, PTA, family stuff.  I am so burned out and exhausted.  Oh, I'm a single parent by the way.  TV is out of the question. I catch headline news from the radio.  Luckily I have an hour commute each way and that is my relaxation and down time.  I unwind, leave my stress where it originated (either at home or work).  I think of what I have ahead and organize my thoughts and prioritize what needs to be done.  I look at rush hour traffic as therapeutic.  :)   

Then I've tried to simplify my life.  Do only necessary errands during the weekends and only plan one or two (if short) activities a day on the weekends.  This keeps me from still feeling rushed and stressed and doesn't over stimulate my son.  We have managed to find some great down time at home and able to do things with each other.  I  understand the demands of work taking all your energy and patience where none is left when you walk in your house.     

My mom teaches 6th grade history, she taught art for 28 years but they cut that and she was qualified for history so now she's teaching that. My sister and I did what your kids did at that age and we turned out fine. I know its stressful now--especially when you deal w/it at school all day, believe me, my mom used to come home and tell us how she had a "regular" class where 10 were really normal, 5 or more had ADD/ADHD, some were ESL, some were BD or LD or ED and she was supposed to teach all of them and follow IEPs w/no classroom aides.  

Just remind your kids that you love them and try to spend half an hour doing something individually w/them at night or rotate nights--my parents used to take turns reading to us, when my dad was on midnights he'd read to us on weekends or he'd do the major house cleaning on the weekends so my mom could take us to do something fun. Go out to eat or get take out once or twice a week--you can still eat healthy. Find a tv show you like that you can watch at night--w/my mom it is now Apprentice, even though my sister and I were out of the house. Make sure your household work is divided and you aren't doing all of it, my dad was responsible for packing our lunches and both parents helped w/homework on top of the other chores.