The beginning of the day is such an important time: getting prepared for the day; eating a nourishing breakfast and spending a bit of quality time together; setting the tone for the day. It’s my great desire to make mornings organized, peaceful and relaxing, but so many times this is hardly the case. There is a lot of coaxing, reminding: “Hurry up! Get your clothes on!” (Even yelling!) Sometimes crying, meltdowns over a certain outfit, huge spills at the breakfast table, panic, pressure. “We’re going to be late!!!!! Hurry up!! Brush your teeth! Do you have your library book?”
“Mom, I just have to get my show and tell!!”
Sometimes I’m just about in tears leaving the house. I know I’m not the only mom who’s experienced this; I’ve talked to lots of moms about it. One told me, “I’m like an animal in the morning!” I have three children ages two to six. One way that I have tried to bring some level of order to our mornings is through the Morning Start chart.
I saw it on the Super Nanny Show and a friend of mine had one that she had drawn by hand. This one the girls and I made together. I think they were five and three years old. My oldest daughter created the title. The chart takes away the nag factor. If the girls are forgetting their responsibilities, I ask them to check the chart, or I say, “Morning Start.” For the most part, they are eager to do what’s on the list, and I can attend to other things, like cleaning up the table and even doing my own make-up in a leisurely manner. Then the kids get time to play before it’s time to leave for school. We have also been setting the timer as a “race” to see how fast they can do shoes, coat and backpacks at the door. One minute is the current record.
Morning Start certainly helps to make our mornings more pleasant and manageable.
How are your mornings?
