Home School Heartbeat Radio Program

Mike Smith:
Work responsibilities often keep fathers busy for most of the day. Mike, in what practical ways do you balance your schedule and prioritize time with your kids?

Mike Donnelly:
Mike, I try to be ruthless with my schedule, constantly evaluating how I'm doing. And I think we all have to do that, avoiding the big distractions. In my early career, Mike, I had a bad habit. I worked about 70 hours a week. With some help from my wife, God prompted me to make some changes so I could stay home every day for a family breakfast, and get home every day for dinner. This is very important. And I started to get to a point where I was uncomfortable not being home.

Men may have to say no to a promotion, they may have to ask for a different position with less demands, they may even have to move to have a shorter commute. I think getting rid of the TV and carefully monitoring our internet usage to make time for more important activities with our wives and children is important.

I used to play golf on weekends, now I coach two soccer teams. And I take at least one of my children with me to Home Depot to invest in a relationship with them.

I think one of the other important things we have to do, Mike, is invest daily with our families in a time of leading them around God’s Word in a family devotion. I think that’s really critical.

Mike Smith:
Mike, thank you for joining us this week to discuss these challenging issues. Until next time, I’m Mike Smith.