A Single Mom’s Guide to Peaceful Mornings

   As a mother of four wonderful kid, I have a few tips you mothers may find helpful. Lets face it, we all appreciate any help we can get when it comes to having happy relaxed and healthy kids. I always found mornings to be the most difficult time of the day. At the time, I was on my own, worked full time, and had four kids to prepare for school and daycare. I found that a chaotic morning led to a chaotic day. Kids like structure and the following tips are things I learned from my own experience, and my very intelligent, very insightful mother. You can hold a family meeting to outline your new plan. At the meeting, present each child with his or her own morning checklist. As they complete each task on the list, they can check it off or place a sticker next to it. Each week, if they are successful, they can earn a reward. Maybe they can stay up an extra hour on the weekend, or get to skip one chore of their choosing, or get to pick the desert one night. You decide what is effective for your child. All of the lists can hang on a cork board in the hall or in their bedrooms. Whatever works for you. They should be responsible for making sure they are keeping up their chart. The items on this chart should be the morning routine. It should not be too long as to overwhelm the child. If your child is too young to read you can illustrate the list with pictures they can understand. Examples of the items on the list: brush your teeth, wash you face and hands, pick up the bathroom after yourself, put dirty clothes in the hamper, make your bed, get dressed, etc. etc. This teaches responsibility and time management. It also frees up some time for your own morning routine! They become proud of the fact they can take care of themselves and will want to take on more responsibility. It is also a chance for the older kids to help their younger siblings, giving them a sense of being “grown up!”

   The following are some things to help teach your child basic functions, and to help ease your stress in the morning.

  1. As young as Kindergarten, your child can learn to wake with an alarm clock. There are many on the market that flash color, and play gentle music, or make cute noises to wake your little ones.