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Article Let’s talk…Attitude – school mornings!

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Attitude is everything…how we react or respond to something can be the difference between a good day and a bad day!

Recently I started listening every morning to a very practical gentleman called Earl Nightingale and he talks about the ‘magic word’ – ATTITUDE.

My alarm is set for 5.30am, I lay there, just 5 more minutes, then another 5 and then I hear them…they are moving, like rodents in the night but instead its morning and in another few minutes they will come looking for me.

Do I or don’t I have time to play my attitude session, to get me through the next 2 or 3 hours before school starts.  Listening to Earl, I am trying to brace myself for the punch ups between the 2 big kids, as they antagonise each other the minute they open their eyes.

‘Attitude’ you tell yourself, towards your reaction to this madness.

You brave the madness, out you go smiling (well more like lips sealed and tilted at each end mimicking a smile), the rule is NO TV in the morning until everyone is dressed and fed, what’s that I hear… a TV, what’s that I see four darling children kicked back relaxed on the lounge watching TV! Is anyone dressed in uniform? Of course not, in fact two aren’t even dressed at all; the youngest two don’t even like clothes as the third youngest got dressed in his pajamas the other night after his bath only to remove them before hopping into bed.

Have the 10 and 12 year old got them breakfast of course…not.

I must admit my 10 year old daughter is that bit more responsible and at times gets her own breakfast, the 12 year old boy, mmmmm, let’s just say he would go without some days before he would get it himself.

So the standard phrases begin, turn the TV off, get dressed, have some breakfast, what would you like for breakfast, tell me now not 10 minutes before we walk out the door, stop speaking to each other like that, don’t hit her, don’t hit him, that’s not a very nice way to speak to someone, I don’t know where your brush is, I don’t know where your shoes are as I don’t wear them…hurry up you are going to be late…then the tears, take your pick if it’s not one it’s another, over something minor, but in their world it’s the end of the world as we know it.

In there somewhere I am dressing two children, refereeing and making lunch, when the 12 year old wants to show me something and when asked to wait a minute, says, ‘you don’t care about me, you aren’t interested in me’.

That word or feeling is trying to crash through the chaos – ATTITUDE.

I am trying really I am, I am using my calm voice, I am switching off to the point I am coming across as ‘beige’ a non-descript personality.

It’s working I know it is, but NO the 10 year old is now bellowing like a Braham bull calf estranged from its mother, and there it is I lose my s**t…. I am now the mother Braham bellowing at everyone to get in the car, grab your bags, did you grab your lunches, I am not dropping it down later I threaten, however they know I won’t let them starve.

Finally we are in the car, and I am using every inner peace I have in me to ignore the banter so as we don’t have a car crash, finally in the distance I see it, it’s beautiful, it’s the SCHOOL. We pull up looking frazzled, but once again we made it, albeit the chaos we went through to get there.

It’s not groundhog day you tell yourself, but really if we are honest it is, every morning we wake up and do the same thing over and over again, does it get better, not sure, but know this you are not alone we are all going through the same thing just a different variation on the chaos!

What are your mornings like, do your kids help out? Please share in the comments below.

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Comments

  • I find mornings a rush with work and childcare etc.

    Reply

  • Mornings can be hectic. When there’s kids off to school, daycare and mum and dad off to work…..it’s go go go and flat out from the minute I get up

    Reply

  • School mornings are crazy – for about 6 months I had shoe and sock refusal – they went on/came off time and time again. It was something essential to resolve as they were part of school uniform. Finally took to taking the shoes and socks in car, getting there just in time to jam them on before walking in with massive protest – as soon as teacher said good morning, shoes were no longer a problem ARGHHH! So glad these days have passed.

    Reply

  • Mornings are a bit of a Rush, though we are only at childcare and don’t have to be there any specific time.

    Reply

  • Love Tara’s book title

    • Thanks :-), I like it to, my husband didn’t get the title he was like ‘what are you having a midlife crisis?’ and another family friend asked if the book was all about drinking…. I said no then I had to think mmmmm, there are few moments when I have had a glass of wine or 2….. I especially love the cover, when my father passed away who I was very close to, I would get up every morning and put on bright lipstick and for some reason it lifted me! so I love the red lips on my book cover.

    Reply

  • Great read! Attitude in the morning is so important and can either make or brake my day!!!

    • Totally agree, it all comes down to attitude and sometimes it is pushed to its limits while being challenged constantly by 4 little darlings all with their own agendas!!!

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  • I have the hardest time with my 15 year old :(

    • I am having an annoying few weeks with my preteen 10 year old daughter, the mouth is on fire…… I dread to think what she is going to be like when she is full blown teenager!!!

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  • It not easy that all I can pretty much say, but very worth it :)

    • Yes, it isn’t that easy, and for 2 hours every morning can be at times bedlam! But agree wouldn’t be without them!

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  • Bedlam and no!

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  • it s absolutly great to read these

    • Thanks, I think we all go through similar situations at some point.

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  • It’s hard at times to organise kids for school.

    • Oh yeah…, I am on Night Duty this week and trying to get them off on time for school so I can crawl into my bed, can be a tad frustrating, also they are in holiday mode and still have 3 more days of school to go yet. I am grateful there is no homework this week….

    Reply

  • I hated getting ready in the mornings as a child, even now I take so long to ready to leave the house. Maybe it’s from never learning to get organised as a child.

    • It could be…, my aim is always to be organised! However when dealing with 4 individual personalities, what I would like and what I get are 2 different things!

    Reply

  • For school days we have a must do list attached to the wall from going to the toilet, brushing teeth, is homework done?, get changed, make bed, brush hair, pack school lunch etc. It saves a lot of fights and although the list omly applies to my oldest who is at school all three kids follow it. It saves so many fights.

    • That sounds like a great idea, and it is awesome that the younger ones are doing it also.

    Reply

  • Great article! I have a 5 year old who started school this year and an 8 month old who want attention all the time! I am full time working mother too so I have to get ready to work as well. I plan the day, but it never work! There is always something happen each morning to make both of them upset and drive me insane. Today my 5 year old told me she doesn’t like washing her face! So there were tears ……..could never win! :-)

    • Hahaha, I hear you, it just takes one to have the meltdown for the morning, and it changes the whole game plan no matter how organised you are. I think it’s nice to know we are normal and there are other mums experiencing the same type of morning!

    Reply

  • We don’t wake up really early , alarm us set up for 6.40.And we usually leave in about on hour.So we make sure we have plenty of time for everything.I hate to rush.

    • Our entire household get up early, which makes no difference sometimes, last week was a particularly good week, there was no rushing as I too dislike the rushing about scenario.

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  • What a great article. With having 5 children, I believe that all children have attitude problems at times.

    • Thanks, and yes especially the 2 big ones at present they seem to tag teaming on who is going to give the most attitude this week. Last week it was my daughter all week….

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  • You poor dear, that must be so difficult to manage!
    We have a limited TV time policy so definitely no TV in the mornings. As I tend to leave for work quite early, all lunch boxes, library bags, activity bags and drink bottles are packed the previous night. Uniforms are set out along with shoes, hats and jackets.
    Maybe try a list that can be laminated and put into bedrooms or the fridge as reminders.

    • Thanks for your tips…., my eldest boy can have his clothes physically given to him, and it still takes him 15 mins to get dressed! I am starting to think it’s a preteen boy thing, his mind is constantly elsewhere…. Thanks for your comment :-)

    Reply

  • Reading your story was like reading about my own life and trying to get my boys to school / kinder each morning. No matter how ‘organised’ I am, things always turn to chaos and a repeated morning panicked rush! Thanks for sharing – it did make me laugh!

    • I know, you think are organised…, and it looks like things are going smoothly and then…., all hell breaks loose! Glad it made you laugh and you could relate!

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  • Wow reading your story was draining. I was recalling having seen a Simpson’s Episode where Marg left the family for a while to relax and recharge, of course the family realised pretty dam soon how much she did for them and how little they actually did..was thinking your family need to be reminded and have a shake up as well.
    When my daughter was born in the early 80’s there was a book and course running called practical parenting they taught a section where child suffer the consequences eg. if they are told and have a routine of school morning and they fail to follow this, by watching TV when they are not supposed to etc thus running late, the idea is that you just let them run late and have them arrive at school late and suffer the back lash (consequences). You pre-warn the children what happens if they misbehave or fail to be ready on time and also let the teacher and school know what you are doing and the fact that you are teaching them to be responsible for their own actions and that consequences will happen if deadlines etc are not followed.
    Wishing you well and hope things change for the better soon as I do believe these little daring are running you into the ground.

    • I won’t turn down a well earned break!!, and I do the consequence approach they have turned up to school late, I went in and told the school what’s going on, and that there have to be consequences for their choices and actions!! I have even driven the little ones to school as they are ready on time and have had to come back for the older ones. The other day I even made the big ones walk!!! But the preteen son dosent care he is in his own world!! Thanks for your feedback…

    Reply

  • Wow, you poor thing. That sounds so frantic and unpleasant. I can’t imagine getting 4 children ready for school each morning. I have one who is now a teen and I find if I’m not organised the night before, and up ready first, things can happen, meltdowns can occur. I have my responsibilities in the morning, and my son has his. So if he fails to meet any of his, then it’s his fault. Working well so far, until ….

    • It can be very frantic! And you only need one of them to wake up in a bad mood, and antagonise another….., which can end the order and calmness!! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
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