We all have those mornings. You know the ones. Someone wakes up on the wrong side of the bed. The dog has an accident. You’re late for a meeting.
Making space for these tips will turn even the craziest morning around.
But what if you think it’s too late? What if the kids are already on the bus or you’re sitting at your desk wishing things had gone differently. There is still hope.
Here’s three bonus tips for when you think it’s too late:
- Head to your child’s school if possible, or call and ask to speak with them. Showing up or calling with an apology and a hug will help both of you have a much better day.
- Set aside time for after school or work to be together. Go for a walk, color, snuggle and watch a movie. Be sure to say out loud “I’m sorry we had a rough morning. I wanted to make sure it did not come between us and you still know that I love you no matter what”
- Spend a few minutes together before bed. If bedtime is usually rushed, climb in next to them and just be together. It may lay the foundation for a better morning tomorrow.
On average there are 180 days in a school year. Each of your kids will be in school for 12 years. That makes it 2,160 morning with the potential to be rushed and hurried. And I’m not even counting multiple kids, day care days, summer camps and what not.
So, bad mornings will happen… it’s a given. But you can turn it around for you and your kids to have a better day!
The 2-Minute Action Plan to make the day better:
Ask yourself a few questions about how bad mornings affect you and your kids.
- In the last week, how many mornings felt rough? Can you notice anything in common about those days?
- What would your ideal morning look like? How can you move toward that?
- How can you take care of yourself so you can be better prepared when hard mornings come your way?
- What triggers or obstacles can be eliminated from those rushed morning minutes?
- How often are you successful at rescuing a morning that has started going downhill and still go on to have a great day?
The Ongoing Action Plan for AWESOME mornings:
Over the next few days get in the habit of
- Recognizing as early as possible when the morning has stated to slip away from you.
- Pledge to not let a bad morning turn into a bad day.
- Give grace, to your kids and yourself!
- Experiment with different ways to salvage your morning and find what works for your family.
- And last but not the least, if you don’t have a well-established morning routine, make that your highest priority. An established morning routine significantly reduce the chances of having “bad” mornings in the first place!
