I know school everywhere is coming to a close, so file this away for Fall. After more tardies than wild dogs have fleas, and more battles than I can come up with an analogy for, my kids and I have found a groove for getting places on time. No more tears, fewer morning shouting matches, considerably fewer revoked privileges. Here’s what I’ve learned from my chronically late children. I mean, they all refused to exit the womb and had to be induced.
Pack lunches the night before.
Lunches are the biggest morning time suck in our house. Having lunch bags open and trying to find the correct foods for the correct kids (all of whom have different allergies and preferences) is complete chaos if those same kids are running around the kitchen fighting or otherwise expelling energy.
Pick out the next day’s clothes at bedtime, and have a rule that kids can’t leave their room in the morning until they are fully dressed.
For us, this includes shoes. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve left the house only to discover a child is barefoot.
Have a simple breakfast plan.
My two older kids can make their own instant oatmeal. We also have cereal, fresh fruit and sometimes granola bars or muffins. The kids know how many of what item they can have and are responsible for feeding themselves before they leave the house.
Now, because those are the same tips nearly every seasoned parent will give you, here are a few more that make our lives easier:
Plan playtime before school.
Our school is located near a park. My kids will hustle right out the door if they know they can play on the playground for even five minutes before the school day begins. Spring weather has us leaving 30 minutes early. And Winter is a snap because dressed and fed kids can watch a show together (or play in the yard) until it’s time to head out.
Make being on time part of earning their allowance.
Or implement another reward system that works for you and your kids. For my youngest, that looked like earning 1 erasable pen at a time over 3 weeks. There were 8 in all. Just enough to get her into the groove of getting ready. Not
getting a pen was a natural consequence to not being ready. Now not playing at the park is the consequence.
Have your own stuff together in advance.
Yep, a lot of the time being late is my fault. I avoid this by having my own bag and lunch pre-packed. Other things you can do: Know where your phone and keys are. Set the coffee maker the night before. I even plan my breakfasts ahead.
If it means no kid or mommy melt-downs before 8AM, it’s worth it.