Avoiding "March Madness": A Family Game Plan

(This article was published in the March edition of a family and parenting magazine)

In the mind of a sports fan, the words “March” and “Madness” denote something great: the NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament.  Yes, “March Madness” is the colloquial term fans employ each year when 64 teams play 32 games within 21 days throughout 4 regions of the country in order to crown only 1 national champion.  For fans, it is a beloved occasion of irresistible insanity.

For many families, on the other hand, the month of March is defined by a different sort of Madness: the insanity of preparing for & returning from Spring vacations, the stress of school projects and progress reports, the plethora of Spring sports, activities, and errands that never fail to be on opposite ends of town. Unlike the basketball ‘Madness,’ this brand of insanity is far from a welcome occurrence. 

Here are a few simple tips that will help you navigate ‘the tournament of life’ this spring without being ‘eliminated’:

1)  Have a Game Plan: Every good team has a winning plan that outlines both what they will and won’t do in order to overcome obstacles and achieve success.  Families should also have a game plan for the month of March.  We know that school pressures will increase; we know that the nature of our children’s activities will shift; and we know that taxes and other financial burdens will be faced. A family game plan allows us to successfully triumph over these obstacles.  It is always better to attack with a plan, than react without one.

2) Eliminate Distractions: A good basketball team will endeavor to block out unnecessary distractions and focus on what is most important—the game.  In life, we can do the same by evaluating our time and commitments.  Do they line up with our family game plan?  If not, eliminate such obstacles so that your family can give more attention to the things deemed most important.

3)  Play Your Strengths: A team consists of individuals possessing diverse strengths and weaknesses.  Families are no different.  It helps to recognize the individual strengths and limitations of your family members.  Then exercise your strengths for the good of the group. 

4)  Believe in Yourselves: Even the strongest teams can be negatively influenced by memories of past failures.  So, too, our families can be compromised when we dwell on past failures and disappointments rather than focusing on existing strengths and our potential for future success.

Having a family game plan can help you and your loved ones work as teammates to overcome obstacles, achieve your goals, maintain your sanity, and, ultimately, turn March Madness into Springtime Sanity.

–Preston Coles