ManDad Monday
Back to School.
Hey Dads,
It’s late on a Bank Holiday Monday evening and we’re looking to the week ahead. We hope you’ve had a cracking Easter (pardon the egg-pun) and are ready for going back to school.
After two weeks off, it’s time to settle back into the groove of early mornings, uniforms, lunch prep, finding matching socks, and getting out the door on time!
But, what can you do to make the morning easier for everyone? We have a few suggestions for you…
Start on a Friday or evening, or at the very least, first thing on Saturday morning, by washing all school uniform and work clothes.
Do all other laundry during the week and focus just on school and work clothes, including associated underwear and socks. This gives you two days to dry if hanging and will ensure everything is ready come Monday morning.
On Sunday, check the schedule for the up-coming week. Are there any PE lessons, after school activities, or sports, etc. that require different clothes, shoes, accessories or equipment?
Assign different coloured drawstrings bags per activity and have everything you need inside each bag - this goes for kids and adults too! Even if you’re putting that drawstring bag inside a school backpack or emptying out gym kit into a sports bag, you will already have sorted everything and it will be ready and waiting for when you need it - saving time and energy through the week.
Lay clothes out the night before. This will achieve two things: (1) no rushing around in the morning trying to find everything, (2) remove unnecessary and often stressful decision-making for those who wear their own clothes to school or work (uniforms reduce decision-making even further, which is great).
Ball dirty socks up before putting them in the laundry basket. This way, you won’t be hunting for matching socks before washing and they should then go through the wash and come out of the drying together as a pair. Ball them back up straight away and put them back in the sock drawer. This will again save you time and you’ll stress less over odd socks!
Ensure that school paperwork is complete at least the night before (if not a few days before an event or trip) and attached to the fridge with a magnet. Have one spot that is reserved for school permission slips and similar and get into the habit of checking before the kids go off to school.
Similarly, if you have a laptop bag to take with you to work, or tools or equipment, etc. then make them available to you before you go to bed so they’re easy to lay hands on in the morning. A few minutes prep the night before can save you significant time in the morning.
Prep lunch the night before as much as you can. You may want to make sandwiches in the morning but you could pre-pack lunchboxes in the evening. If you’re ordering school meals, then do this on the weekend for the entire week.
Also, decide on evening meals for the week (or more) and shop accordingly. You’ll save time and money by sticking to a meal plan and only buying what you need. You may also want to assign a section of the fridge for ‘snacks’ for when the kids get in from school - if they know what they’re allowed to have, it saves all the asking and arguing about what to eat. Stick a sign on it that says “One per day”.
Set clear boundaries and routine for the morning. For example, get up before the kids do (if you can) and take some time for yourself - a quiet cup of tea, a workout or some reading before the day properly starts. DO NOT start scrolling your phone!
Insist on a maximum volume for the TV and reduce tech as much as possible for everyone - calm and quiet mornings will lead to better attitudes towards school and set kids and adults up for great days. Stressful mornings tend to lead to hectic days, and this continues into the evening… affecting your ability to unwind and get ready for the following day.
Know what the expectations and deadlines are for homework and then schedule time on the family calendar to get this done. Again, you don’t want to be rushing around the morning of a due date for a piece of work you have no hope of completing before the morning bell. Teach kids to be responsible for getting the work done and monitor their effort and progress.
Set a bedtime! This might be obvious but actually, a lot of kids don’t have set bedtimes and many have no structure or evening routine. So, understand how much sleep your child needs for their age or stage of development and act accordingly.
Set an alarm for the morning and unwind properly the night before - a bath and story perhaps, or an episode of In The Night Garden and a kiss goodnight. For older kids, turn their tech off at least an hour before they go to bed and encourage them to read before sleeping (even if it’s just their daily school reading).
And the same goes for adults - switch off, unwind, and go to bed at a reasonable hour. You will feel better for it the next day and be more likely to function without the stress and mess of someone who’s barely snoozed.
Speaking of which, it’s late, and we really should be heading for bed!
Get some sleep Dads and have a fabulous morning tomorrow!
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