Some mornings everything runs smoothly -- books and homework are ready and waiting in book bags, no milk gets spilled at breakfast and there's no surprise announcement that your eight-year-old needs enough cupcakes to feed the entire class. But most mornings, we rush to get the children dressed and fed in time to get to school or daycare. We spend too much time looking for book bags and car keys. Then, we discover at lunchtime that our socks don't match.
Dr. Sylvia Rimm, author of "How to Parent So Children Will Learn," says nagging is a poor way to get kids ready for school. But all parents wonder how children will ever get out the door without our help -- especially if we struggle to leave on time ourselves. How can we be sure they will remember to wash their faces and brush their teeth if we don't remind them?
If your mornings tend to run like mine, a few tips and a morning routine that starts the night before will help you get through school-day mornings with a minimum of stress (and nagging).