WELL PARENT | The Morning Routine DRAMA

It’s 7:45am, time to leave for school.

The kids are scrambling around throwing lunchboxes in school bags, crying over socks, stressing because they can’t find swim goggles because it’s swim day.

They are flustered. I am frustrated.

No one is having fun. 

And you know what?

When parenting stops being fun, then it’s time for a change. And if we can’t have fun, can we at least make it calm and chilled and slightly enjoyable?

What is the point of raising these kids if we can’t enjoy it, at least some of the time?

I’m a parenting coach. I know how to create good morning routines that flow.

We’ve been having really good mornings for the last 5 years since I did my Positive Discipline training and learned how to put all these little tools together.

Our mornings were SO successful the last few years, that when we moved to Vietnam the kids continued to be able to do what they needed to, without all the supportive strategies I had put in place. 

Mornings were working. 

Until they weren’t.

Things were sliding. They wanted to read. They wanted to play lego. I started doing more to 'support' them, and the more I did, the more they stopped doing.

The more they stopped doing, the more I started asking (nagging).

And the more resentful I got that I was the one who seemed to be doing everything.

I don’t like being the time-keeper and the only reason that people do what they need to do.

None of us were enjoying this start to our day.

It was time for intervention.

In my parenting workshops, we utilize a problem-solving approach called Parents Helping Parents. We take all of our positive discipline tool cards (you can download the app) and we look for the tools that could support us. I’ve used these tools so much now that I know them well, and I can pull out a combination of them in a tricky situation.

So I did it. I pulled out the tools that I know WORK, and I DID the work. 

We can't sit around complaining and waiting for our kids to change. They won't change their behaviour, unless we first change our behaviour.

It's all on us parents.

Over the next few posts, I’ll share the tools I use (and recommend) to get mornings start flowing easily, to set kids up for success, to respectfully help them stay on track, and to deal with frustrations, defiance, and meltdowns.

Are you ready to overhaul your mornings? Let's go.

  CHECK OUT MORE ARTICLES 

  HERE:  

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR  

Rebecca Archer is a Certified Positive Discipline Parent Educator and Early Childhood Educator, Encouragement Consultant, teacher, and the mom of 3 energetic kids. Originally from New Zealand, she has been working with children, families, and women for over 15 years as a teacher, facilitator, parent educator, writer, community founder, and event manager in the international community. She is passionate about helping parents deepen the connection with their children, and equipping them with simple everyday strategies to build a cooperative, respectful, fun, family life.