{"id":29203,"date":"2012-09-06T15:29:09","date_gmt":"2012-09-06T15:29:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/?p=29203"},"modified":"2017-02-13T07:06:45","modified_gmt":"2017-02-13T12:06:45","slug":"3-easy-ways-get-your-kids-out-bed-back-school-adina-soclof","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/parenting\/3-easy-ways-get-your-kids-out-bed-back-school-adina-soclof\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Easy Ways to Get Your Kids Out Of Bed And Back To School"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>When my kids were little, my mornings were a mess. By the time I had dropped my three-year-old at preschool and lugged my baby back and forth to the car it was 9:15 a.m.–and I was ready for a nap.<\/p>\n

Throughout the years the mornings did get better, although I could still always use a siesta. It took a lot of energy, which I don\u2019t have, and lots of organizational skills, which are not my strongest suit. But still, I don’t dread mornings as much as I used to.<\/p>\n

So what did I do that worked? Here are 3 simple strategies that helped me get a handle on my mornings:<\/p>\n

1) Be Prepared<\/span>:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This came as a piece of bad news for me, but I think all parents need to hear it: Our mornings start at night. That is, we need to start preparing for our mornings the night before. This seems to be a no-brainer, but I am tired at night. I want to relax. I have to really force myself to spend a half-hour getting organized.<\/p>\n

So now in the evenings, I try to tidy up my house, prepare lunches, backpacks, and sign homework and permission slips. I touch base with my kids to make sure that they have clean clothing ready to go.<\/p>\n

Oh! Don’t forget the shoes! We used to spend a lot of time looking for shoes. I \u00a0remind my kids to put their shoes in the mudroom so there won\u2019t be a mad dash in the mornings.<\/p>\n

2) Feel Your Child’s Pain<\/span>:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>I used to get so frustrated when I would watch my kids slowly climb out of bed, one limb at a time. It was like they were made of jelly. I would think, \u201cWhy can\u2019t they just get<\/em> out of bed? What is the big deal?\u201d \u00a0Once I started learning about the concept of empathy and how it applies to parenting, I changed my tune. I realized that I needed to put myself in their shoes.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t like getting out from under my warm blanket in the morning. I am certainly not one of those people who hears their alarm and jumps right out, ready to start the day (does anyone do that?). If I don\u2019t like getting out of bed in the morning, it would stand to reason that my kids wouldn\u2019t like it either. So, instead of accusing:\u00a0\u201cWhat is taking you so long? How long are you going to lie there?\u201d\u00a0I would empathize with them:\u00a0\u201cIt can be a challenge getting out from under those warm blankets. You look like you could use a hug!\u201d and\u00a0\u201cGetting out of bed in the morning can be tough, especially in the winter when its still dark out. Is there anything I can do to help?\u201d<\/p>\n

3) Problem Solve<\/span>:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When we do have a rough morning, I try not to spend a lot of time blaming myself or my kids:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is with me, if I would have just remembered that I had carpool, it would have been less hectic!\u201d or\u00a0\u201cIf you would have only gotten out of bed on time, it would not have been so crazy this morning!\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead, I try to be objective about where I slipped up and how I can fix it in the future. Around dinner time, I also try to get my kids input:<\/p>\n

\u201cGuys, we had a rough morning this morning. There was a lot of yelling. What can we do to make sure it doesn’t happen again?\u201d and\u00a0\u201cI don\u2019t feel like this morning went smoothly. There seemed to have been a lot of whining. What do you think we all need to do so that tomorrow morning will be calmer?\u201d<\/p>\n

Mornings with kids can be a challenge. It helps to work with your kids by being prepared, compassionate and open to problem solving.<\/p>\n

Let us know how what you do to keep your mornings calm. Comment below!<\/p>\n

\n

Adina Soclof<\/strong>, MS. CCC-SLP,\u00a0works as a Parent Educator for Bellefaire Jewish Children\u2019s Bureau facilitating\u00a0<\/em>How to Talk so Kids will Listen and Listen so Kids will Talk\u00a0workshops as well as workshops based on\u00a0<\/em>Siblings Without Rivalry. Adina also runs\u00a0parentingsimply.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When my kids were little, my mornings were a mess. Here’s how I got a handle on the a.m.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":720,"featured_media":55532,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-parenting"],"yoast_head":"\n3 Easy Ways to Get Your Kids Out Of Bed And Back To School - OU Life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When my kids were little, my mornings were a mess. 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