I know first hand how stressful school day mornings can be. At the time of this writing, we are getting back into the school day routine. Some parents dread getting back into the school routine. All they see is grumpy kids, angry parents, and late arrivals.
A few years ago, that was a typical morning for us. We decided enough was enough. We sat down to diagnose the problem. You know what we discovered? We were the reason for most of the stress. We had not set up our kids or our schedule for success.
It is kind of like taking a 2 year old to the grocery store in the afternoon instead of letting him have a nap. Is his bad behavior in the grocery store entirely his fault?
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Here are some simple routines we started to have a stress-free school day morning.
My wife is great at preparing. It is her strength. She has the kids’ clothes ready to go. We also have created a place for all the book bags to be hung by the door to the garage. This eliminates the need to do last-minute searching for the kids’ book bags. What can you do the night before that will eliminate a to do from your morning routine?
What can you do the night before that will eliminate a to do from your morning routine?
Most of us already know this but we just don’t do it. Why do we figure out the absolute last minute we need to leave? You can save yourself much heartache by bumping your “have to leave” time by 10 minutes. Creating a bit of margin in your routine can work wonders.
We also built a few minutes into our routine to share some wisdom with our kids. As they are eating their breakfast, I will share with them a verse from the Bible or a quote that offers a great teaching moment. I want them to start off their day right. This helps them create a desire for learning and growing.
I want them to know that life is not all about them, but it is about others. You find greater purpose in this life when you love others more than you love yourself. Kindness happens when we create margin in our lives. Kindness happens when we seek it out.
You find greater purpose in this life when you love others more than you love yourself.
Question: What habits, routines, tips or advice do you have about school day mornings with your kids? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
I wholeheartedly believe in preparing the night before. I find that the nights I am too tired to prepare for the next day leaves me 3 steps behind the next morning, and I start my day rushed and frustrated. Which in turn, that frustration gets projected on my family. Not a good way to start the day for any of us.
I know it is amazing at how well your morning can go just by doing this one simple thing. Great thoughts!
As a mom and school counselor, I think this is a terrific set of ideas, especially allowing the margin for the morning commute and devotion/affirmation. More children would arrive at school ready to learn if they followed your guidelines.
Thanks Lynne. This has been a 2 year journey for us as parents to setting a routine like this.
“I love handling style disagreements when we aren’t tired or rushed.” <—- This is huge. My wife and I have had many discussions about this. Great point!