With any number of children, life can quickly spiral into chaos all the time. It can really start to drain well-meaning parents who want what's best for the kids when they don't know how to keep chaos under control without yelling and threatening. Kids needs to be kids, but they don't self-regulate well, and need adult help for that!
We have a lot of kids, and therefore need systems and routines in place to keep the chaos moving with forward momentum.
The key we have found to managing chaos is to WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN.
We have a Chore Calendar. Jobs rotate and so each day we consult the calendar.
We write down on a large wall calendar who will be where when.
We write down our Family Home Evening assignments.
We write down who feeds which animals when.
This little tweak to our family systems has helped in many ways.
1. I don't have to remember everything. What a waste of mental energy it was trying to keep it all organized in my brain!
2. The kids don't fight about who's job it is anymore.
3. It creates a feeling of ROUTINE. It's officially a part of our day. Go get it done.
Yul Brynner's famous line in The King and I was "So let it be written, so let it be done."
A-freaking-men. It's written. Do it.
You might be married to a paper planner or your phone calendar, but this is NOT either of those things. This is on public display, big for the family to read. It puts the ownership on their shoulders. I manage the calendar, that's it.
Could this work in your house? What are you already doing that is working? What might need some adjustment? Chaos is inevitable, what you do with it is what matters, and is what your kids will remember and take with them into their own adult lives.
So go write it down in big bold letters!