I have always been the kind of person who wakes up early. I find that I can get so much done in the early morning hours, before my kiddos get up to start their day. So I guess you can say I am a morning person.
My children are not morning people. They do not hop out of bed, ready to face the day. As a matter of fact, they would sleep until noon if I let them. There are days I feel like a tornado could tear through their bedrooms and they wouldn't budge.
Being real here.....With my older three kids, I wasn't very kind or patient when waking them up. I would yell at them until they got out of their beds. I thought they needed to get up at 6 am in order for our days to be productive. Boy was I wrong. I learned that was not a good approach. Starting your day out on a sour note only causes issues later in the day. They needed me to give grace. Just because I could wake up before the sun, didn't mean they needed to. I don't enjoy sharing my shortcomings as a young and inexperienced mom, but if I can help one mom out there who is struggling then my embarrassment is worth it.
As I aged, I was blessed with more patience. With age also comes wisdom. I have learned that kids respond better to a calm mama instead of one that is screaming. I have also learned that it is better to work with your kids' time clock instead of against it.
My younger three are still not happy about getting up in the mornings, but they still get up within a few minutes of hearing mama's voice calmly asking them to get out of bed. They know that we have things to do and if we stay in bed too long we won't be able to have our free time in the afternoons. I am using logic instead of anger to get them up, and guess what? IT WORKS!!!!
Sometimes I sing a little song to wake up my kids. It gives us all a good laugh and reminds us that God has given us another day to enjoy.
Our morning routine is quite simple. I usually wake them by 8 am. They eat their breakfast as we talk about our day, then they are off to do their morning checklists. The checklists include:
- Making their beds
- Tidying up their bedrooms
- Feeding the pets
- Getting dressed
- Brushing their teeth and hair
- Gathering their schoolbooks together for the day.
This system is working really well for us. They are not as cranky and mom gets her quiet time without having to wake up before 6 am. I am happy that we can enjoy our mornings together now. It makes the days more peaceful, and I no longer dread the morning wake up calls.
How do you handle your mornings? I would love to hear from you!!!!
Our morning routine is very similar, but we start earlier. We are just getting back into the swing of things since adding a sibling to our family 6 weeks ago. They wake up at 7 am and start getting ready for the day. Breakfast is always ready by 7:30 (sometimes earlier). They have to have their morning chores done and be dressed and ready for school by 8:30.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your honesty and examples. I too learned the hard way and regret how I first parented in my early years. Aren't we glad for the wisdom , perspective, and patience that come with age!! I give a hardy "amen" to what you have shared. Thank you for your ministry to the younger moms. Maybe they can learn from our mistakes 😉Blessings to you :)
ReplyDeleteHa! We're the other way around. I want to stay in bed til 7:30 (at the earliest!), my two older boys get up at 6. Every day. My toddler isn't a morning person either... Currently 38 wks pregnant with yet another boy - really hoping he lies in, too!
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