How To Manage Family Appointments
Get the Skinny
Before you can manage appointments, you have to know what they are. Sit down at a pre-arranged time each week with the family and ask everyone to bring their calendars. Compare notes and write down what each member has planned. Have them copy everyone else's schedule too. Discover conflicts during this time and try to work them out. Go through this process during a weekly family meeting time or after dinner on the same day each week. While things can come up during the week, getting the family in the habit of sharing their plans will help to relieve a lot of last minute disruptions.
Send it Electronically
With most kids and parents on their own computers these days, many members of a family may have little use for written lists and calendars that are not on their notebooks or email files. Set up a network with all the computers in your house and get everyone in the habit of using the shared calendars. You can set up electronic reminders for yourself and everyone on the network. You also find special software that will allow you to build your own personal database and calendar programs to suit your needs. Download it on every family member's computer.
Put it in Plain Sight
A big calendar on the wall in the kitchen where everyone in the family eventually will see it can still be a model that works best for some families. Rules for appointments need to be made clear to both the parents and the children. Some suggestions include: no one can ask for a ride or for money to go somewhere until they have checked the calendar to see who is free and what else may be scheduled for that day. Important appointments, such as doctor visits and job interviews must be put on the calendar when they are made. Let it be known which appointments take priority in your family so there will be no room for argument.
On the Same Page
Make a pact with your family that you will respect each other's time and will let someone know when a schedule has been changed. It's usually the last minute changes that throw a hectic family schedule into disarray. However, keep these last minute changes for only the most necessary circumstances, so they will not be difficult to manage. Daily last minute changes can result in crisis.