Community Corner

Family Talk: Help Me Be On Time!

I'm always running to catch my own bus, after the kids are on their way.

As parents, we all know how important it is to keep . A regular routine is not only necessary in ensuring everything gets done, but that it gets done with as little stress and rushing as possible.

My family's day-to-day weekly routine is pretty standard. We have our set bed times, dinner times, and specific hour that we wake up. Being strong believers that sleep is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle, and childhood, we've always had a pretty strict 7:30 p.m. bedtime for my kids. Whenever we would surpass that bedtime, the affect could be seen bright and early when they awoke with the grumpiest children you might ever see.

As gets older, we have gotten a little laxed with bedtime. It's not only been pushed back to 8 p.m., but for some reason now, when my kids hear it's bedtime there seems to be a rendition of requests and things that need to be done. From requesting snacks to having to use the bathroom numerous times, it seems that the kids have figured out their ways to push back that bedtime even further.

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So, again, where do we suffer? During our morning routine, that's where. For some reason, I can't seem to get out of the house on time, or at least what I consider to be on time. While we all share a morning routine, mine slightly differs from the rest of the family. Why is that? It's because I am the only one that is rushing to get everyone out the door on time.

Now, kids, or at least mine, have no conception of what it means to be in a rush. I can repeatedly say that we are running late and will still have to reiterate numerous times that it's time to put shoes on and get ready to leave. The start to our morning usually goes well, with waking up and getting dressed not being problematic. The issues begin after breakfast, when it really begins to be crunch time.

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In those 15 to 20 minutes before it's time to walk out the door, I feel as though the thought that we need be ready by a certain time, which is always the same in my household, just disappears. Whether or not this is selective amnesia, I have no idea.

What I do know is that I have put the pressure, every morning, to finish up and get out. Watching the clock and speaking to my kids as though they are running a race, I feel the stress, moreso than everyone in the house, to be on time. Along with not wanting the kids to be late for school, a big part of the desire to be out of the house on time is due to the fact that I will be the one running to catch the bus just so that I can catch the right train.

This may just be me, but I think it is terribly unfair that I literally have to run, after dropping the kids off to school, to catch that specific bus, which will get me to my train on time. While I cannot argue that I do need the exercise, I'd prefer not to get it in such a way that leaves me panting when I get on a bus full of people.

So, how can I get my family to see how important it is to keep our schedule. Should I bring back that earlier bedtime, which will proabably involve me telling the kids to go to bed countless times from 7:30 p.m. to about 8:15 p.m., or so. Or should I start to enforce punishments when someone is not ready to leave on time? I would hate to have my kids feel that constant rushed feeling when getting ready in the morning, but at this point I don't want to have to keep going through it myself, or running for that bus every morning.

So parents, I implore you, grace me with your best tips for an easy going, and on time, morning routine!


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