Jessica Page: Embrace the chaos of a packed calendar, it’s good for family’s development

At the risk of being a party pooper, it’s sometimes too much.

Birthday parties, Easter egg hunts, after-school and weekend sport. Mother’s Day breakfasts, sports carnivals.

The weekly calendar is overflowing.

Never mind finding a spare half-hour for a dentist appointment or haircut.

For the kids, not me. Don’t be silly.

Over-scheduling has become a phenomenon of modern day parenting.

But I don’t think the studies that blame a reluctance to let our kids be bored are right.

There are more demands on our time, especially if both parents are working. Often by financial necessity.

My dentist’s receptionist keeps calling in hope to remind me that my biannual clean is overdue. By about a year.

But my own dental hygiene has been pushed further down a very long to-do list that I just cannot seem to rein in.

Because each addition to the family calendar seems so important.

And they are.

Each party is another opportunity for kids to form crucial friendships and learn vital social skills.

And for parents to establish bonds too.

Small talk at the school gate helps maintain parents’ sanity and form friendships able to help share the load later when car seats will make way for ride-sharing to netball training.

But until they’re old enough to pack away the booster seat, there’s a limited number of relatives able to act as chauffeur.

Besides, mum and dad’s absence gets noticed when they’re desperately searching the crowd of spectators for their person.

And — truth be told — I don’t want to miss a second of it.

So I keep setting my alarm earlier in an attempt to reserve enough ‘me time’ to exercise, but every time I wake up I see clothes or toys or mess that needs to be put away first, school lunches that need to be made, a column that needs to be written.

A weekend away means the daily chores didn’t get done and I start the week behind.

Deep breath. #FirstWorldProblems

This isn’t a “woe is me” whinge.

I’m getting to the advice that I always impart to others but find hard to accept myself.

Embrace the chaos. Just a bit.

And party ‘til you drop. Even if you drop before the seven-year-old does.

Their smiles are more important than the three loads of washing that await.

Though the occasional negative RSVP won’t ruin their social life and might preserve mine.

Let’s raincheck this time.