PREPARED IN THE CLASSROOM

I want to offer some suggestions for keeping order, even joy, in your mornings as you prepare for the day and get everyone out of the door.

Wake Up - Get alarm clocks for each person making it their responsibility to get up on their own. Nothing creates more stress and sets the tone for the day than mom yelling at a child to wake up for the tenth time. If my kids do not heed their alarm, I turn on their light. If they continue to refuse to get up, they lose out on get-ready time, but either way, my car leaves at the same time to go to school, and they will be in it. It generally takes an ‘I am serious’ moment for them to learn the lesson that getting up on time is VERY important as no child wants to go to school in their PJ’s. This applies to teens too. Nothing motivates a teen girl to wake up than realizing she will miss out on doing her hair and makeup if she doesn’t manage waking up.

Role Play - For younger children entering school for the first time, have a mock school day where you wake up and pretend it is a school day. Walk through with them what needs to be done step by step.

Breakfast - Isn’t it interesting how we can be together all morning and never once even look at or see each other? Make a goal to sit together even just for five minutes. Talk about your upcoming day. This is a great time to cheer each other on for tests, tryouts, or weightier issues they are facing. I have a couple of great question games that we keep at the table to create conversation and laughter. Also, setting breakfast at a specific time each morning helps them manage what needs to be done by breakfast time (make the bed, get dressed), as well as after (brush teeth, put shoes on).

Routine - Having a consistent routine and agenda helps children to be successful. They know what they can expect and what is expected. It helps them to be self-guided in managing their time, too. One thing that really helped when my kids first started formal school was to have them do it in order. They had to get up, then make their bed, then get dressed, then eat breakfast, then brush their teeth, etc. Doing it in order helped them to know what they should be doing next. When they get older, our morning routine includes the kids up at 6:30 AM, at the breakfast table at 7:00, and out the door at 7:30. They managed themselves in between, but those three times need to be honored. Establishing the expectations ahead of time took the pressure off of me having to keep them moving. Do not be shy in creating a poster with the schedule, and if you see a child not doing what they are supposed to be doing, ask them to check the schedule.

Lunches - Empower children to make lunches the night before, perhaps even on Sunday. Create an atmosphere of empowerment rather than pressure like it is a chore. Praise them for their effort and accomplishment. I told them they had to have one protein, one fruit/veggie and one snack/treat, but they could pick what they wanted.

Clothes - Empower children to pick out their clothes the night before, including socks and shoes, or perhaps spend an hour on Sunday afternoon having them set out their outfits for the whole week. My girls love it! This includes a routine for gym uniforms. Picking out clothes in the morning can be a recipe for chaos, especially for girls.

Chores - Years ago, the kids wanted me to take them to the park, but I was too exhausted from the never-ending cycle of making meals, dishes, picking up, folding clothes, fetching juice, etc. I decided that day since my children were a part of the household, they needed to contribute to the success. My top areas were the floors, dishwasher, trash, laundry (which is perfect because I have four kids!). When they were younger, I printed out the weekly schedule and assigned chores and posted them on the wall in a frame. This empowered them to take responsibility, manage something, and feel good about their contributions. We have continued these chores to this day, but I have moved them to the evening so they can focus on other things in the morning. The only chore they have in the morning is managing themselves for school and putting their dishes away.

Bathroom - Is bathroom time a hassle in your home? Switch from AM showers to PM showers. Create a hair/makeup area in their bedroom, leaving the bathroom available for the basics.

School Papers - It causes me a lot of stress when the kids would shove a piece of paper in my face while driving, expecting me to sign it before we arrived. I created a system where anything that required my time, signature, or money needed to be placed on top of my coffee maker. I

wake early and would review the pile while making my coffee. I respond and place the notes on the counter, making it their responsibility to get it IN their backpacks. If they came to me in a panic about something, I would remind them of the system. Sometimes they had to get a ZERO on their reading log in order to learn that their lack of planning does not create a crisis on my end. I was holding onto my peace and teaching them to be more prepared.

Attitudes - If attitudes are something you deal with in the morning, it means their teacher is dealing with it, too. Do not ignore this character weakness - parent it. Pinpoint the real issue such as a lack of humility, rebellion, or lack of self-control and go after it in the times of peace. Sit with them and let them know responding to authority that way is not acceptable, and then role-play some ways they could handle it differently. Go after that character trait in other ways. Teach, train, and empower them.

Family Meetings - I call ‘Family Meeting’ often in our home. The kids know they need to come immediately into the living room (yes, we had to practice what it means to come immediately and not 15 minutes later). I used this time to inform them of events, talk about issues, work through hurts/offenses, and all their voices to be heard. We meet weekly, oftentimes more than that. During the school year, I make sure every Sunday we have a check-in and talk about the week, field trips, errands that must be run, things that need to be added to the grocery list, playdates, permission slips, sports obligations, rides, science projects, etc. This helps us all to feel ahead of the game and not always reacting at the last minute.

What are some steps you can take to make sure you are sending your child out into the world armed with peace?

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