When my oldest daughter was little, I remember what mornings used
to be like, trying to get her out the door in time for the bus. The frustration I felt, the frustration she felt, the
raised voices to hurry, and even times when she would be eating a little something while walking to the bus stop. Have you
ever been there? The day was all too often started off on the wrong foot.
Let's think about
this....
Let's say that your husband wakes you up 15 minutes before you have to go to work(he shut the alarm off on accident).
You barely have time to clear your head from waking up, and he's raising his voice to you because you are running late.
He helps you throw a lunch together, but continues to grumble and gripe and show his utter frustration that you aren't
Wonder Woman, on top of the world, with it all together in 15 minutes. You are pretty hungry, so he toasts a piece of
bread for you before you run out the door. You head for the car, hearing him grumble on his way back to the bedroom
to get himself ready for work.
So! How do you think you would feel once you got in the car? Happy?
Ready to face the day? Secure and confident? I doubt it! If you are anything like me, you would be
frustrated that you overslept, hurt that your husband was yelling at you, wounded that he grumbled while making your lunch,
and definately NOT ready to face the day with such a rough start! Sure it might get better, but why not just start it
off the best you can, even if you accidentally oversleep or are running late?
A much better
idea is to wake the others up in your house with a warm "Good Morning!", and even when running late, treat your
loved ones the way you would probably treat a good friend-with words and voice tones that would not offend or hurt. Speak
the way you would coax a baby to take their first steps..."Come on, you can do it!" Tones that encourage them
to do what needs done, but without the added stress of yelling, anger, etc.
Even after 20-40 years of life, most of us are still sensitve to being yelled at
by the boss, or by anyone else-let's remember our family members have feelings too, and treat them how we want to be treated.
A
little later in school years, I felt great when my daughter's school had Character labels that were applied to them, and my
oldest daughter was labeled "happy" because every morning she came to school with a cheerful spirit. It hadn't
always been easy for her, but when I changed my morning habits, I was rewarded to see that it had affected how her days started.
There
are a few things that can help make mornings easier, and sometimes, MUCH easier!
Consider
these things:
1. Make sure that you get YOURSELF to bed at a decent hour. Lack of sleep,
or the right amount of sleep definately affect our entire days, including our mornings.
2. If
you have children, have an early bedtime for them-they are NOT adults that learn to cope with lack of sleep. A friend
of mine told me that her children went to bed at 8:30, and I personally thought this was ridiculously early. The children
were probably 8 and 9 at the time. But then, I tried it in my own home, and WOW!!! What a difference it made! Try
it-you might be amazed! As my children age, I change their bedtimes a little later, but still aim at 10:00 for my teen.
3.
You can get your next day outfit together the night before. If you don't have the laundry put away, locating what you
need the night before will help to not have to waste extra time in the morning if you cannot find a piece of clothing you
intended on wearing.
4. Get school books, work papers, or other items gathered together the night before
so you don't need to gather them in the morning. Young children often need reminded-remember, they are not little adults-they
take years to train and make habits for themselves without being reminded.
Sometimes small changes bring BIG results! Try these small changes and see
how it can begin your days so much better!
