Anyone with kids has probably noticed the 5:00 hour is somehow a portal to the dark side.
Theres no getting around it. Its been called the bewitching hour, arsenic hour and reversely, happy hour by parents who choose to check out while the chaos ensues.
Joking aside, this is the perfect example of how to use natural forces to your advantage.
Maybe asking the kids to sit down and crack the books at 5:00 is asking for a meltdownone that could be avoided by simply going with the flow of natural productivity. Homework at 3:00? Possibly. Homework at 6:00? Doable. But homework at 5:00? Probably not.
The point is, its important to notice your childs natural rhythms and preference and then leverage them to create seamless routines that support an instinctual nature.
If your child is squirrely at 5pm, that might be a good time to invite him into the kitchen and have him make his lunch for the following day.
Perhaps your child is a morning person. Invite them to make lunches before the bus.
Got a late sleeper? Develop a routine that will have them prep their stuff before they go to bed so they get up and follow the same process right out the door.
There are some influences that cant be changed, but there are many small adjustments that will lead to a much smoother flow throughout the day. And remember: expect hotspots around the am and bedtime routines, transitions to leave the house and getting stuff together for sports and activities.
No matter what your rhythms and preferences are, understanding them and working with them will make each and every day more enjoyable for you and everyone around you.
Finding the right rhythm may take some time. Here are some ideas to get you going.
Vicki Hoefle is a popular parent educator, speaker and author of Duct Tape Parenting: A Less Is More Approach to Raising Respectful, Responsible, and Resilient Kids and her new book The Straight Talk on Parenting: A No Nonsense Approach on How to Grow a Grownup.
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