A Peek at my Parenting Notes...
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Years ago my husband and I began writing down our parenting goals, rules and expectations. This parenting roadmap that we have worked on over the years, has become our most valuable parenting tool.
Were we perfect? No.
Did the plans help us stick to our goals to the best of our ability? Yes!
Why?
When you talk about your parenting goals and plan them out, it keeps you on the same page…especially in front of the kids.
Writing down your notes helps you to keep track of the details and stay focused.
It gives parents the confidence, accountability, and stamina needed to keep things consistent.
It gives you a place to refer back to if you forget a rule, goal or need to make updates to your plan.
You can keep a list of helpful parenting books and resources handy in case you need more ideas for certain topics.
Parenting “in the heat of a moment” or “by the seat of your pants” can leave all kinds of loopholes open, like…
giving harsher punishments than you intended and then backing off or changing the punishment
forgetting the rules you set the last time you had a similar parenting issue
not touching base with the other parent(s), causing them to create a rule or system different than the one originally set
kids begin realizing that the parents are not on the same page and therefore they can manipulate the system
revisiting the same issues over and over with no success
As adults, we create lists, budgets, and plans in order to remember and keep track of important details and information. How do you stay on the same page with your money management, menu planning, and goal setting as a household? The same should be true for your parenting notes.
It is not about the method of note-taking you do, but about the usefulness of the CONTENT that matters.
We have used the main Word document for most of the rules and expectations we wanted to set. We also have used spiral notebooks, spreadsheets and notes apps on our phone. These things may sound too disorganized for some people and that is why the method you decide to use should be one that works for you.
Below I will briefly describe the types of notes we took, and include pictures.
Take the ideas you like, leave the ones you don’t, but I hope you see the value in keeping notes for your parenting journey!
The Word Document
This document has our main parenting ideas, rules, and systems in it. Things like..
dating, driving and curfew rules
when the kids needed to start paying for things like their gas, entertainment, and car insurance
a sample contract if needed for grades, chores or as they got older, rent agreements
technology use information
reflection and focus questions for kids to use as needed
lists of parents responsibilities
spreadsheets for detailed topics like a wedding budget
general babysitting notes to print as needed which included…
Our address
emergency names and phone numbers
blank space to fill in instructions
medical information and permission forms and access to our will for babysitters when we traveled without the kids
These items were kept in a file on our computer and could be printed or referenced when needed. Here are some samples of our Word document parenting notes…
Spiral Notebooks
We used spiral notebooks for keeping track of money the kids borrowed and payed back over time. These items were typically extra, wanted items. Sometimes we split the costs with them, and other times they had to pay for the full cost.
Items like…
letter jackets
upgraded golf clubs
trips
phone upgrades
club sports
We also used it to keep notes that were specific to just one kid. For example, when our son did his Eagle Scout project, all his details were kept in his section of the notebook.
We have started a grandparent spiral notebook now to keep track of gifts and other items that we do for our grandson. This way if we have other grandkids, we can be sure to keep things the same for them.
Notes App
The notes app on our phones has been great because my husband and I share access to it. We can add, change, and delete notes as needed. We used this for remembering…
gifts that we have given to nieces, nephews, and friends kids and for what occasion so we can keep it the same as younger siblings come along for celebrations
which side of the family we will be celebrating various holidays with
dates for sporting events or school projects
allowance amounts
any quick notes that we don’t want to forget
As you can see in the pictures, we use the notes app on our phone and then we can email or text notes as needed. We even occasionally print them and tape them in the spiral notebook as seen in the repeated photo.
So there you have it. Our parenting notes are messy, but they work for us!
Parenting is not about perfection.
It’s about the POWER in your PLAN.
Think it. Note it. Parent it.
How will you make notes for your parenting journey? Click the photo below to begin!
I love sharing fun and useful products for parents! Some links I use are affiliate links including links for Amazon.com. I get paid a small commission, without any additional charge to you if you make purchases from the links. The commissions are used to fund this site in order to bring fun and helpful content to parents! Thank you!