As August runs out on the calendars, parents of school-age children begin to shiver at the shins remembering the worst moments of the past year. Who else and who less is aware that much of the burdens of school life are created by ourselves, parents. With our best intention, that always. It is in our hands to organize ourselves better and review our strategies to make the school trip more enjoyable for the whole family.
These September days in which we finalize the preparations for the new course are very conducive to developing our list of good purposes for back to school. In my case I have it clear: The rush is over.
Mornings, the Achilles heel
The acquired vice of living in a hurry to our children usually reaches its peak in the mornings of the school days. Vital moment in which mothers usually hit bottom, at least once a week. World-wide is also the selective deafness of children to this type of fuss and ultimatums, children, much to our regret, do not know the rush.
My oldest daughter, for example, often forgets what she is doing, or is supposed to be doing, in the impass of bringing the toothbrush to her mouth. Moment in which, far from beginning to brush as any person would do, she usually dedicates herself to dancing the Macarena, chatting with her sister, La Segunda that in turn washes her hands with a dedication and dedication that may well take fifteen minutes, or just to look helpless in the mirror.
For a mother with the times and schedules of her offspring etched in her brain this is a constant source of despair and overwhelm. We usually get up with the "come that we are late" printed on the lips on which we usually elaborate according to our mood and degree of despair resulting in all kinds of caustic assertions such as "you will see but I am leaving", "as you continue like this it will come the police to look for you "or, simply, a heartbreaking" you want to hurry that we are late! " B flat.
This state of perpetual stress can turn school mornings into a family hell that does not benefit anyone. It is precisely these key hours of the day when we have to multiply efforts so that children arrive at school on time but also calm and happy.
Who gets up early God helps
The key to success is getting up with enough time. Let's face it, it takes a long time for a child to stretch. They need some time to whip, take off their legañas and realize that they have been in front of the glass of milk and toast for ten minutes without touching them. In addition, there are children who wake up charlatans, wanting to talk about the human and the divine between spoonful and spoonful of cereals. If we give breakfast enough time we can make it a pleasant time to talk about the activities and chores of that particular day.
That quarter of an hour that we usually steal from the alarm clock can be the difference between the burden and the concord. If children are tired and need more sleep, it is always better to put them to bed rather than lift them later. In our case, with four beasts that groom each morning, we give ourselves at least an hour from the time we pick them up until we go out the door.
Reinventing time
Another undeniable reality is that children, although they know how to read the time, are not aware of time. It is no use talking to them about leaving home in ten minutes or giving them five minutes to finish the colacao. They will continue at their impassive pace.
A very useful technique is to separate the routines and set alarms so that they know what they should have finished when each bell rings. I usually put two, one to indicate when breakfast is over and another five minutes before leaving so that the one who is not ready knows that he has to hurry. The days I see it more crude, I usually allow myself some kind of reminder, "Oh, how are you doing like this, the alarm will sound", but the fact that the times are marked by an emotion-free device considerably reduces our morning drama.
I am not the only one to apply methods of this style. Pilar told us some time ago how he had stopped hurrying his daughters in his maternitycontinuum blog.
Morning Olympics
Other methods parents usually like are turning certain morning activities into contests or careers, especially between siblings. The "let's see who manages to drink the colacao while I count to ten" or "the first person who persuades himself at the door with his coat on" wins "give good results although they tend to lose effectiveness over time and have to innovate to maintain the interest of the children.
The path of reconciliation
Be that as it may, no matter how good or bad we have been in the morning, the important thing is to take the trip to school to file roughness, relax the atmosphere and always say goodbye with a smile in your mouth. It is important not to say goodbye angry and that the children arrive happy and willing to school.
But let's be optimistic, this year I hope to fulfill all my good purposes for back to school. Starting with this one, the rush is over.
