Mom Life by Meredith Ethington

Author:Meredith Ethington
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: parenting, mom humor, motherhood, books for moms, parenting toddlers
Publisher: Absolute Love Publishing
Published: 2018-02-27T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14: Surviving the Morning Routine So You Can Enjoy the Sanity-Saver that Is School

When my oldest started Kindergarten, I often daydreamed about the day when all of my kids would be in school. Obviously, I would get pedicures, go shopping, have lunch with friends, and have all the time in the world.

Now that my youngest is about to start Kindergarten, I realize that having all my kids in school isn’t about my “me time”. It’s about having a few hours every day to compose myself and look for my sanity.

School is how we survive. Not only do my kids get to learn math from someone other than me, but they also get to have some needed mommy-free time, just as I get some kid-free time. These breaks are good for the entire family. They let us enjoy the time we have together more.

Well, except for those before and after moments, because (let’s be honest) school comes with a whole new set of problems and challenges.

Mornings are the worst. Every time I yell to my kids “You don’t have time for this!” as they are playing with the jump rope in the kitchen or counting each other’s freckles for no other reason than because they can, I feel myself get a little bit older. The morning routine of packing lunches while corralling everyone and trying to get them out of the door on time literally sucks the life out of me. And the afternoon routine of homework and chores isn’t much easier.

School is awesome, but the before and after is kind of terrible.

So it’s a conundrum. We’re either yelling at them before and after school, with a few good hours in between that fly by like a 15-minute break, or we’re yelling at them all day in the summer, while making 100 snacks and remembering why the school routine isn’t that bad after all.

But since we all need to know how to survive the school routine, I’ve got some real-mom tips for you. Let’s start with the morning routine:

Get each child an alarm clock, and make sure it’s set the night before. Encourage kids to lay out their clothes on their beds so getting dressed will be easy the next morning.

Wake up before all alarms are set to go off because your brain hates you and because your internal clock is the only thing keeping your family on time anywhere.

Wait for your kids to emerge from their rooms at the appropriate time. Despite their uncanny ability to wake precisely at 6 a.m. every weekend to watch cartoons, this will not happen. Be surprised when you have to drag them out of bed every single day for the next 12 years of their schooling careers.

Have them change clothes because they picked out the rattiest, mismatched clothes in their closets. When they come out in a second hideous outfit, give up and let them wear it. At least they have on pants.

Watch as your children melt down because deciding which cereal to eat in the morning is the hardest decision they have ever had to make in their lives.

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