The herding principle

I once passed a park in a rural area and witnessed a fascinating display. A number of people had gathered to watch a sheep dog at work. With amazing speed and agility, this canine used everything within his power to move a number of sheep withersoever he wished. He was so good at his job that he caused the sheep to move as though they were one fluid entity.

And that is what I have learned to do as a mother of many children.

Many years ago, when I had small children with few old enough to help out much, I knew how crazy things could get. I had witnessed first-hand how allowing children to scatter and "express themselves" usually led to discord and disaster.

Of course this is obvious when out in public. Just one child left to himself can get into mischief, so a handful of children can become a noisome nuisance. I always kept my children together, close at my side, no matter where we were, whether at church, in the store, etc. If they started milling about, I gave them a place to sit, and if there was no place to sit, I gave them something concrete to stand against, such as a counter, a wall, grasping a cart or hanging onto my skirt.

But at home this is just as important. I try and act like the sheep dog and move my little flock fluidly through the day.

First of all, we have blocks of time for everything. Notice I did not mention the word "schedule"--I do not like to be a slave of time slots, although I do have goals of things that need to be done by a certain hour of the day.

Also, I have trained my children to "hear my voice". Just as the sheepdog expects the sheep to follow his cues, I make announcements as to what we are doing next--and it may change from day-to-day, but I expect that when these changes take place, everyone will adapt.

For instance, this morning I am having them do their personal hygiene before our morning meeting, yesterday we had our morning meeting first, the day before we started our chores and then broke for our morning meeting. It is all according to the needs of the day.

And this is how our day goes. I announce the next band of activities, and then have everyone flow in that vein. I don't announce we will spend time reading silently, then allow someone to wander off and scooter outside. Everyone is expected to participate in what we are doing at the time.

There are many benefits to this type of system. It keeps down on mess, since I can make sure everyone is cleaning up after an activity. It cuts down on confusion, since I am not trying to keep track of numerous activities at once. Waste is minimized because I am able to supervise more, and it is less noisy.

We own both the new and the older versions of the movie, "Yours, Mine and Ours". These movies attempt to portray what life is like in large families. The second film depicts two distinct types of parenting styles--one that is free-wheeling and driven by creativity and the moment, with disorganization and mess being a part of everyday life, and another that is orderly and clean with a military influence.

I was sure my children would favor the free-wheeling type of family life, but, to my great astonishment, they were disgusted by such "creativity". They loved the orderliness of the military family, and even told me we should strive to be more like them!

And this is coming from kids who love to create and draw, play music, etc.

Of course, within any system there should be time for individual expression, but without boundaries, things very easily turn into an ugly, dysfunctional monster. There is security in orderliness, in having 3 meals a day and routines, or in knowing where to find your socks in a hurry!

Over the years I have learned to listen to my stress level. If I find I am stressing and feeling pinched, it usually means I am trying to do too many things at once. I immediately stop everything and reassess, praying for wisdom, of course. Streamlining and simplifying are my best tools for a peaceful, Godly home.

Of course this means we can't do everything; we can't have all the "experiences" our little hearts may desire. But we can enjoy the few things we do to their fullest, and enjoy each other at the same time, instead of feeling fractured and lonely while pursuing 15 different self-interests.