We talk to clients on a daily basis who say they want to take a parenting class because they feel like things are unraveling at home. They are fed up with it and are looking for guidance on improved ways to talk to the kids to get better results. In most cases, the parent understands that he or she needs to learn how to better manage his or her own stress and understand what is age appropriate behavior so they can work towards creating a more productive and happier household. A popular solution is to take our 4 hour online parenting class at www.onlineparentclass.com in the convenience of home and whenever there is free time.
A reoccuring theme this week is how stressed out the school day mornings have gotten in the 2 months since school started. At first it was a tough adjustment but the kids were still excited with the newness of it all. Now that it’s pitch black when they have to wake the kids up and the rigor of the school year has settled in, it’s gotten even more difficult to get the day going on the right foot. If the morning has turned into a cranky, complaining race to get out the door on time, you are not alone! The good news is that there are certain techniques that parents can put into place to have the most successful morning possible. In fact, the success of your morning really starts the previous evening. Some key tips from researchers and doctors include:
1. Prepare as much the night before as possible. How many times have you dropped your children off at school to get home and find their homework or schoolbooks left on the kitchen table? Take the time to double-check that all homework is in the right notebooks and in the backpack ready to go. Check the weather and get outfits ready. Make lunches so in the morning all you have to do is grab the already made sandwich, bag of chips, fruit and drink and just put them in the lunchbox. Think ahead about what everyone will be eating for breakfast. If it’s a bagel and juice, you can have plates and cups out on the table ready to go.
2. Model a positive attitude about the day. Give yourself extra time by getting up a little earlier than the kids so you can get yourself ready. Show them you are dressed first before you eat breakfast just like they should be. Keep your complaints to yourself as you help everyone get ready for the day.
3. Create a routine. Children thrive when they know what to expect. Have a family meeting to explain the new order of events and that you expect them to follow this schedule so you can get them to school on time. After all, it’s a team effort. For example, get up at 6:45, get dressed and downstairs for breakfast by 7. Brush teeth and hair at 7:15. Put lunches in backpacks, get shoes on and everyone in the car by 7:30 – in that order. Keep things moving so there isn’t a lot of downtime to deviate.
4. Set up rules about technology in the morning. If your child is ahead of schedule, he or she might sit down with their IPad to watch a video, or start playing Xbox. If you allow this to become a habit, it eventually will derail the morning flow. You will start to hear “Just one more minute!” Or “Let me finish this game”. Instead, families who experience smooth mornings say that TV or technology is not allowed before school.
5. Pick and choose your battles. Fighting with your daughter about her choice of clothes or your son about brushing his hair every morning can send everyone off with a bad attitude. Either discuss the clothing situation the night before or let it go for the bigger issues that will inevitably arise.