Anatomy of our Annual Family Meeting

(Spoiler alert: at the bottom of this essay, you’ll find all the nitty gritty on our family’s actual screen time, bedtimes, chores, dinner rhythms, and more). I was talking to my mom the other day about my job and how it’s evolved (as I’ve evolved) over the years. We talked about how when I was a young mother, I was so very concerned with the tactical tasks of life: meal planning, laundry, housework… and of course, mommy guilt. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve gotten most of those things pretty dialed in. Now I’m focused on bigger picture things (that I didn’t really have time to worry about when my kids were small): how to protect my kids in a world that’s crazy sometimes, how to keep them safe on social media, if I’m getting enough one-on-one time with them to talk about their changing feelings and bodies. Bigger kids = bigger worries, I suppose. But one thing I’ve learned over the years is this: I can’t focus on those bigger picture things when the tactical things aren’t working properly. I just don’t have the space in my brain to worry about all of it.