Having a large family naturally has you multi-tasking. This includes keeping track of where each of your kids is and what each one is doing. It requires finding balance as you navigate schooling, chores and outside activities.

Keeping charts was helpful to our family. We had a chart for the younger children listing their chores, school assignments and memory verses. They were given stickers and when they reached a certain number of stickers, they could pick out a small trinket from the “treasure box.” Older children were given a list to keep in their notebooks with assignments and given certain privileges as rewards. At one time, we had index cards with various character traits like kindness, responsibility and integrity. If one of the children displayed a particular one, they were given that card for the day and received a sticker or a certificate displaying their achievement.

It takes some juggling and intentionally being selective when choosing extra-curricular activities. If you’re not careful, you can burn yourself our running from one thing to the next. It’s helpful to ask each child to choose one thing to start off: a music lesson, sport, art or drama class or gymnastic, for instance. If two or more of your children can sign up for a class or activity together, that alleviates some of the running around.

Sometimes, it is wise to say NO. One daughter was asked to be on a traveling sports team, but after discussing, thinking through and praying, we decided it was best to decline. It would have interfered with going to church and in general required too much time away from the rest of the family. Another daughter landed a role on a children’s program, but it would have meant driving five hours each way once a week or staying overnight for an indefinite number of weeks. At the time, we were preparing to move out of state and my health was not optimal to be taking such a commitment on like that. It was hard to say no to both of these opportunities, but in the end, we knew they were the right choices.

As your children grow up, they tend to branch out more and more and you find yourself mentally in multiple locations at once. It’s as if there’s a tally sheet with each child’s name and check marks next to each one , showing where they are at any given moment.

When I was growing up, I was allowed to roam the neighborhood with my friends for hours and all that my parents expected was that I be home on time for dinner. Today’s world demands that we keep a much closer watch over our kids, if not in person, then by phoning or texting. While we cannot always be present with each of our children, it is reassuring to know that our Heavenly Father has his eyes on our children every moment of their lives.

“He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; he shall gather the lambs with his arms and carry them in his bosom and shall gently lead those that are with young.”

Isaiah 40:11