The kids have been back at school a week now, long gone are the thoughts of Christmas and routines have started to reform.  

The morning routine can be a stressful time for any parent. This clearly rubs off on the kids too. I don’t know many parents from the school that actually enjoy the morning mayhem. The bit that gets to me is the judgmental parents on the playground. In my opinion, all kids are different and all adults are different. Therefore, each household will have a different plan to tackle the morning rush.

It has taking me 7 years of being a single parent to finally work out the best routine for our house. Being honest, it is aided by the fact that the eldest goes to a different school these days and needs to leave a bit earlier than the other two. It is far from perfect, but it works for us and that is all I care about. 

I have been fortunate over the years, my lot have always loved their sleep. The only downside to having good sleepers is having to wake them up. It doesn’t really matter what time they go to sleep, they all love a bit of a lie in.

I on the other hand, am an early riser. So most days I’m up at 6, without the need for an alarm. So my day starts with a couple of peaceful coffee’s, whilst I gather my thoughts. 

By the time 7:30 arrives, I am fully awake and ready to tackle anything that the day throws at me. I begin with making the two youngest pack lunches and then go to wake the eldest up. He likes to shower before school. 

Its now around 8 o’clock and this is where the fun starts. 

Thankfully the eldest is showered, dressed and out the door (with any number of friends who have knocked) by about 8:10. 

At 8:00, I wake the little lady, we get her dressed, feed, hair brushed  and teeth cleaned. 

At 8:10, the hardest part. The middle boy. He likes his sleep the most and I mean ‘really’ likes his sleep. I have normally negotiated him out of bed by about 8:15. Giving him a 15 minute window to sort himself out by the time we need to leave at 8:30.

All of this doesn’t give much time for error. If we leave at 8:30 we will be at school for the first bell. If we leave at 8.35, we make the second bell.

To some of you, this routine may sound a bit rushed. But for us, it works perfectly. I agree, there is very little room for errors. However, there is also little time for anything to go wrong, eliminating the space for errors.

Basically, we have a mad half an hour, but then it’s done. Over for another day. My only secret to this routine is, that I make sure the school bags are packed the night before. Just before I go to bed, I make sure, homework, PE Kits, Swimming gear etc. is all in the correct school bag.  

What are you guys like in the morning? Do any of you have set routine? If so what are they?

Written by Ian Northeast for his blog Dad’s Delicious Dinners!

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