My son and daughter-in-law just had their third child. At the moment, their home is like a three-ring circus of juggling, stunts, and acrobatics. Even now as I watch my daughter-in-law wrestle with diapers, wipes and poop, my son is juggling after-school pickup and entertaining a lively and spirited preschooler.
Everybody is exhausted.
Except for the preschooler of course. Life must continue on as normal. “Where are my pancakes?”
These are the moments when I’m so glad for some practical help in the moments of chaos. Something to help us slow down and step back with just a little perspective. This is why I’m thankful for the Parent Cue App and why, even as a grandparent, I’m using it every week.
It helps us make the most of our time. The Parent Cue App is built around the number 936, the approximate number of weeks we have as a parent from the day our child is born to the day they graduate or move on to what’s next. Using the app, I can see how much time we have left to invest in these kids while they are still kids.
Mason, the newborn, has 936 weeks. Seems like a lot right?
It feels like yesterday that Mollie Rose, the preschooler, was born but already 208 weeks have flown by.
Maggie Claire starts first grade in the fall, with only 572 weeks till graduation.
It catches your attention, doesn’t it?
It’s reminding us that even in the middle of the circus that is their home right now, every week matters. Because when you know how much time you have left, you tend to do more with the time you have now.
It gives practical things to say and do in the moment. Life is a crazy hamster wheel, but we can still be intentional with our time. As I picked up Maggie from school this week, I used the Drive Time Cue to start a conversation about the times she’s seen someone putting others first. She talked about her friend who let her step in front of her in line for the water fountain and how someone at her table gave her snack away because another child didn’t have one. It launched a great conversation about putting others first. I wouldn’t have thought to talk about it unless the app had prompted me.
But there’s more.
It helps us understand the developmental phase of each child. Grounded in research from The Phase Project, we get bite-sized cues every week that remind us to parent (and grandparent) in the developmental phase of each child uniquely. Mollie’s cue this week said: “If you have more than one child, this is a great age to begin individual traditions.” How incredibly timely. My son has begun to do just that, beginning an early morning “tickle time” with Mollie that shouts loudly, “You are still important in this family.”
In short, here’s what I love about the Parent Cue app, and why I use it every week:
It keeps the end goal in front of me so that I can make the most of each week I have with the most special kids in my life. And it gives me age-specific cues and tips so that we can focus on doing and saying the things that matter most at each phase.
Now that my son is a dad and ringleader of three kids, I know this for certain: It really is just a phase so don’t miss. it. Here’s where you can download the app, It’s FREE!
