School Morning Routines – Who Does What
It is day 2 of this school year and I am pretty sure it is going to take a few more weeks before the kids and I hit our before school routine strides! The biggest challenge seems to be getting the timing right for staggering showers. Beyond that, it is deciding how much the kids are responsible for and what I will do for them.
So, tell me, who does what in your household – you or the kids? (My answers in parentheses after each question)
- Setting alarm and getting out of bed? (So far I seem to be the one waking up 3 kids at 3 different times)
- Picking out school clothes? (Oldest two are on their own, I still get 6 year old’s clothes out)
- Monitoring shower times? (Me, again – I think I need an auto-shutoff timer on the shower)
- Making breakfast? (Me – depending on the breakfast request)
- Packing lunches? (Half and half – kids want me to make sandwiches but they pick out “sides”)
- Reminders for the details of teeth, hair, shoes, backpack (Me – but they have to do these things themselves – I just feel like a broken record player)
How about your household? Last year I started off pretty organized and am trying to incorporate a lot of my own advice again this year, but so far, things are still a little bumpy!
(Image: Robot Whimsy Clock from Amazon)
It is day #2 for us two. I have a 3rd/4th grader and a Senior in HS. To answer your questions:
Setting alarm and getting out of bed? (My 12th grader is on her own with her alarm clock and I wake my 8yo up each morning with a kiss and then pull the covers off of him…lol)
Picking out school clothes? (Oldest is on her own and the younges is in uniforms and on his own too — aint life grand?)
Monitoring shower times? (Both on their own. Oldest showers in the morning and youngest showers at night — otherwise it would be war!)
Making breakfast? (They eat breakfast at school — again, ain’t life grand? on the rare occasion they do eat at home it is usually waffles, cereal, oatmeal or something else quick and convenient.)
Packing lunches? (We are just like you — Half and half – kids want me to make sandwiches but they pick out “sides”)
Reminders for the details of teeth, hair, shoes, backpack (On their own! Isreal remembers what to do and Isaac has a chart on his door that he checks off as he does each item. Usually I just say “Start your Morning routine” and off he goes)
This is no big deal to me.
Only 1 kid goes to school and she’s highly independent.
She takes a shower the night before.
Daddy has to get up for work – he wakes her.
She picks her own clothes the night before, she gets dressed and either he pours cereal for her or she does.
I get up and pack her lunch. Dad takes her one his way to work.
We’ve been back to school for a week and so far so good. My girls are 9 and 11 and so far they’re waking up themselves and making their own breakfast most of the time.
They also pack their own lunches and pick out their own clothes and the wonderful little creatures are almost always ready to go well ahead of time.
The secret…make them self sufficient from the get go. Children are capable of taking care of more than we give them credit for. Oh yeah, showers…that’s still a struggle but we usually take care of this at night before they go to bed so it’s a non-issue in the morning.
My wife and I have four kids to get off to school, ages 15, 13, 8, and 6.
The 15 and 13 are pretty much on their own showering, clothes, and breakfast, but I’m (dad) the one who gets the joy of waking them up.
The 8 and 6 do showers at night. I get to wake up our 8 year-old and get him breakfast, then I’m off to work. Mom gets our 6 year-old up and off to work. Mom and dad pick out their clothes either the night before or in the morning, depending upon the day.
It’s funny how important routines are to kids. One little thing off in the morning can really get them wound up quick.
By the way, I enjoy your blog. I’ve been by a couple times in the past and found you again via Alltop. Congrats!
Char,
Fixing the shower problem is really easy – break your hot water heating element. We are taking the fastest showers on earth at my house this week and while people certainly wake up fast in that cold water, I can’t wait for the repair guy to get here.
I only have one in kindergarten right now and he wakes us still. But, our routine…
1. lunch is made the night before during dinner. He picks two sides from the premade bagged snacks that I bagged earlier (I do this so everything is portioned for him). He gets one fruit to cut, one dessert, one jello, and yogurt, etc.
2. Backpack is packed before bed
3. clothes laid out before bed
4. I put cereal in a bowl on the table before I go to bed so that when I shower he can eat.
5. Either hubby or I get up with him (the other sleeps longer)
It will be interesting when the baby joins us in October.
I only have one in 6th grade right now, and she just had her first day. Waking up? Ha ha ha ha, aaaahhh. A hassle every day.
* lunch is made the night before after dinner, if she isn’t buying. Thank heavens she usually buys.
* Backpack is packed before bed, by DD
*YAY Uniforms!!
*I’m a bad, bad, mom. DD almost never eats breakfast. She doesn’t like to eat when she first gets up, and I don’t feel like fighting with her. She has to leave for school at 7am. I feel her pain.
I have a 19 month old DS, and he usually sleeps until after 8. I go back to work next month, so that will mix things up.
It’s just me and my 12 year old daughter in my house, so while I don’t have help from a spouse in the mornings (doesn’t sound like you do either, though!), at least there’s only one kid to deal with!
Setting alarm and getting out of bed? Me, because she sleeps right through the alarm. She is, however, really good about getting up once I nudge her and have the dog jump on her. I am the one hitting snooze 3 times before ever going in there. The school board recently changed middle school start time from 9:30 to 7:30, so we’re slowly adjusting to this new early time.
Picking out school clothes? She does that. She’s become very particular about what she wears these days!
Monitoring shower times? She takes hers at night and I take mine in the morning. I do have to remind her to take them though. If I didn’t, she’d probably go a month without one.
Making breakfast? I have to admit, she doesn’t eat breakfast. She’s just not hungry so early in the morning, and we’re usually in a hurry. I have some oatmeal once I get to work.
Packing lunches? She eats the school lunches
Reminders for the details of teeth, hair, shoes, backpack? She does these things on her own