When I was working full-time, our morning routine went something like this: I?d wake up at 5:30 a.m. (or earlier, on days when I?d exercise), get myself mostly ready and then prepare breakfast for myself and my two-year-old. If I was lucky, she?d sleep until at least 6 or 6:30, so I could get this all done before she got up. Then she watched an episode of Peppa Pig and ate her breakfast while I still scrambled to get out the door by seven, at which point my spouse took over to complete the less-than-graceful morning ballet with daycare drop-off by 8:30 a.m. Fast-forward to February of this year when I was laid-off quite unexpectedly, and our whole world was flipped upside down?for the better, as we?d later learn.
About a week into unemployed life, my husband and I noticed a shift in our daughter, Evelyn?s, overall behaviour. She went from being fussy, clingy and mischievous to happy, calm and more easy-going. She no longer demanded Peppa Pig in the mornings and she didn?t get into as much mischief?running up the stairs unsupervised, taking apart my handbag, stealing cheese from the fridge. It didn?t take us long to realize that this coincided with our morning routine easing up. Now, I definitely plan on going back to work full-time, but I want to hold on to some of this smooth-sailing morning bliss when I do. I contacted Calgary-based parenting educator Gail Bell, who said it?s possible for parents to have calm weekday mornings, but it can take some effort. Here are some...