I think a stressful morning routine has become a common issue for many moms. Every time I meet moms at sports facilities, supermarkets, or other public places, the first thing they mention is how their mornings are exhausting and overwhelming. Many moms have 2 or 3 kids, and their head spins around every morning. While they prepare all their kids for school, they spend all the energy that they should have for the rest of their day.
I have only one son, but believe me, he is a handful and equal to several kids together. So I was wondering what I should change in my daily routine to make my mornings free of stress and more pleasant. By the way, it works for both moms who have only one kid or a big family.
First you need to organize your pre-morning time
Teach your kid to prepare their school bag the night before school. So make sure that all books, folders, and anything else your kid needs is ready and waiting by the front door.
The night before, check the weather forecast with your kid and prepare his or her outfit for tomorrow. And discuss your kid’s breakfast choice.
These first two categories will definitely help you save time and ease your mornings.
Next, think about how much time you need in the morning to be able to feel comfortable and make things work efficiently for you and your kid. This part is very important, because you want not only your kid to leave for school on time, you also want to teach him how to organize his time efficiently. Set a clock for the right time and charge your phone for tomorrow.
If all these preparations are done, I promise you that half of your mornings will go from stressful to productively successful.
Second, I want to talk about your kid’s routine.
When you have a daily routine for your kid, it will resolve many issues and disagreements with your children. Kids need a daily routine to stay focused, attentive, and successful in school and their personal life. And the first rule is…
Make sure that your kids get enough sleep before school.
I know many parents who let their kids stay up late and then complain about lack of focus and behavior issues in general. And what I tried to explain first to my mom girlfriends was that to avoid stress and misunderstanding, they must first change their daily routine and then their kid’s daily routine. That will guide and help kids to do better and achieve more in school and after school.
Get up before your kid.
As I mentioned before, figure out what time is right for you to wake up and have enough time to organize your morning. It is important for all Mommies if they want to achieve a smooth and stress-free morning.
I always get up at 6:30 a.m. It gives me time to brush my teeth, wash my face, and arrange my hair. I could wake up at 6:45, but I really like to get up 15 minutes early to pay attention to myself first. So I call this “Love yourself and then your kids will learn to love themselves too.” It is like a biological destiny revolves around the daily routines. In this case, you can bravely show and teach your kids that organizing their time efficiently is useful and important in life.
My son’s alarm clock rings at 6:45, and I give him 5 more minutes to wake up completely. While he does morning preparations in his bathroom, I make his breakfast before school that we discussed the night before. Then he dresses for school, grabs his school bag from in front of the door that was prepared the night before, and leaves early for school.
If your kids have a difficult time following a morning routine, make a morning routine chart:
- Brush teeth
- Comb hair
- Wash face
- Get dressed
- Eat breakfast
- Put shoes on
- Grab backpack/lunchbox
- Head out the door
Talk to your kids about these steps, explain why planning a daily routine is important, and go through these steps together every morning. Once your kids are used to following directions and routines, your mornings will be joyful and quick. Do not postpone your effort to make your morning routine easy and productive.