Survival Guide for Moms: How to Avoid Morning Madness When the Kids Go to School
For moms, after the kids head to school, there are countless headaches to deal with. But if there’s one thing that’s truly “chaotic,” it has to be getting the kids ready for school in the morning.
From waking up the kids, getting them dressed, washing up, eating breakfast, packing bags, and heading out the door — all these tasks must be completed in the short span of 30 to 40 minutes every morning.
But hey, kids aren’t factory workers, they always manage to mess things up.
Either they’re whining about not wanting to get up, or insisting on redoing a wrongly buttoned shirt, or accidentally spilling an entire bowl of soup on themselves… If insurance companies sold “morning mishap insurance for kids,” every mom would probably use the formula money to buy it.
For moms, mornings are when their nerves are taut. From the moment they open their eyes, there’s a ticking clock in their brain — no, not a clock, a “mishap time bomb.”
So, moms, it’s normal to lose it a few times in the morning. Otherwise, it seems like the kids have matured too early.
Honestly, as a husband, I don’t enjoy living in a tense and explosive home environment early in the morning. Where’s the peaceful life and enduring love? Besides, sometimes in the morning tension, it’s easy for couples to snap at each other, argue, and warm up the morning with a bit of heat.
Since I couldn’t stand it any longer, I decided to step up.
I told the kids’ mom my plan: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings, I’ll handle everything from waking the kids up to getting them to school (we have two kids, my daughter is ten and mostly independent, my son is five and needs more attention and supervision). Once you’re up, stay in the room, don’t come out, don’t help. Stay in there reading the Bible, doing devotions, or anything else you want. Tuesday and Thursday, you handle everything and I’ll stay in the room.
The kids’ mom happily agreed.
We tried it out for a week, and it worked really well. Mornings at home have been peaceful, at least on my days with the kids 😄. Of course, the days when their mom has the kids have also become much calmer. I’ll share how I manage the morning school routine alone with the kids. I’ll have some reflections at the end.
Breakfast for Two Kids
A typical breakfast, packed to eat in the car.
- 6:00 AM I get up and wash up.
- 6:10 AM Prepare breakfast, pack it. Mainly bread or buns or noodles + eggs/steak/beef/ham/chicken + fruit + milk. The staple and meat are prepped ahead, steamed and heated in the morning. Fruit is handled on the spot. So, it takes about 15 minutes.
- 6:35 AM Wake the kids. 5-minute buffer, they get up by 6:40;
- 6:40 AM Kids wash up and get dressed;
- 6:50 AM Head out with backpacks. Important to note, I’ve always required both kids to organize their backpacks every night, so they can leave straight away the next day.
- 7:00 - 7:30/35 AM Drive to school (15 km from home); kids eat breakfast in the car.
- 7:40 AM Return home. Start work around 9:00 AM;
The idea to have “one parent handle the school routine” was to create uninterrupted morning time for my wife during weekdays so she could read the Bible and do her devotionals without interruption. Likewise, I enjoy a couple of peaceful mornings. Both of us taking care of the kids at once meant overlapping efforts and wasted resources. It also led to conflict. Additionally, I wanted to “pressure test” myself to see if I could handle the “morning madness.” Honestly, it’s tough, intense, and challenging. I’ve gained a greater understanding of my wife through this.
Alright, moms out there, now you know how to handle the “morning madness” of getting the kids to school, right? Let your husband share the load. Want to try the “single-handed” method? Go ahead and share this post with your husband, or post it on social media. 😄