{"id":1629,"date":"2014-01-05T15:13:44","date_gmt":"2014-01-05T20:13:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.positivelyparenting.com\/?p=1629"},"modified":"2015-12-04T12:48:52","modified_gmt":"2015-12-04T17:48:52","slug":"1629","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mlparentcoach.com\/new\/parenting\/1629\/","title":{"rendered":"Routine Re-Up Time!"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"large-12 columns entry-content__output non-vc-entry\">\n<blockquote>\n<h2>Too much.<\/h2>\n<h2>Too much stuff.<\/h2>\n<h2>Too much food, too much junk food, too much technology.<\/h2>\n<h2>Too much family, too much sleep (maybe?), too much togetherness.<\/h2>\n<h2>Too much <i>lack of routine<\/i>.<\/h2>\n<h2>Whereas adults enjoy our routine and feel quite out of sorts without it, children <i>need<\/i> routine to continue to thrive, learn, and integrate their young brains.<\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2>The child\u2019s young brain has not yet developed the coping mechanisms to <i>override<\/i> their anxiety.<\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2>For instance, as I sit here, I <i>know<\/i> that Wednesday will be the day when everything will get back to normal.\u00a0 And even though I am beginning to climb the walls, I can mindfully <i>relax<\/i> myself and <i>cope <\/i>with my anxious feelings.<\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2>Young children simply <i>cannot<\/i> do this.\u00a0 You cannot even <i>teach <\/i>them to do it.\u00a0 It is an age and developmental (as well as temperament) issue, and you can train, rehearse, role model all you want.\u00a0 This kid simply ain\u2019t ready to cope!\u00a0 The brain is ready when it is ready!<\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><b>So, what <i>can <\/i>a parent do to help children ease their way back into a routine?<\/b><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #800080;\">1)\u00a0\u00a0 <b>GET YOURSELF TOGETHA<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<h2>This means that, as an adult, your energy always flows down to the kids.\u00a0 If you are putting together a plan for <i>yourself<\/i>, this confidence and control reads to the child as, \u201cMom and Dad have it together.\u00a0 I am safe.\u201d\u00a0 So, some things you need to do: meal plan and grocery shop, find the backpacks and supplies, get the clothes ready that <i>you<\/i> need, discuss your week with your partner, and get the coffee maker ready.\u00a0 Number one way to have a better week?\u00a0 <b>Have confidence that everything will work out and SMILE.<\/b><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #800080;\">2)\u00a0\u00a0 <b>CALL A MEETING<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<h2>Just because your children have immature brains <i>doesn\u2019t mean that they don\u2019t love a meeting<\/i>!\u00a0 Let the family know what will be happening, where they will be when, and give them some options.\u00a0 Have them start menu-planning breakfast, laying out clothes, placing bags near door, etc.\u00a0 Write down your meeting notes and hang them up!\u00a0 This does <b>two things:\u00a0 <\/b>It shows that children that the parents are <i>in charge<\/i> (and the kids like that!), and it gives some appropriate power to the children (and the kids LOVE that!)\u00a0 It also helps the kids to understand that change is a\u2019comin!<\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #800080;\">3)\u00a0\u00a0 <b>EXPECT THE BEST (AND WORST), HOPE FOR THE BEST<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<h2>Essentially, like many times in your parenting life, this is one of those transitions where you gotta pull up your big girl panties and know that it is going to be a bit rough.\u00a0 The kids will be <i>pissed<\/i> to wake up early (me, too), and they will<i> not want to eat that oatmeal<\/i>, and they will <i>want to go sledding instead<\/i>.<\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2>So, you will set your alarm a good <i>half hour earlier<\/i> and move this mess along the best way you can.\u00a0 Keep smiling, resist the urge to fall into the power struggles, and I don\u2019t think there is <i>anything wrong with saying<\/i>, \u201cHey!\u00a0 Congrats on going back to school!\u00a0 As a welcome back treat, I have muffins in the car for everyone!\u201d\u00a0 And then everyone marches out.\u00a0 That\u2019s not a bribe, it\u2019s a <i>celebration.<\/i>\u00a0 Do it.<\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2>The thing is, <b>you set the tone<\/b>.\u00a0 I pretty much know at least two of my kids will be crying this week, and I have already decided, \u201cI am not going to lose my sh!t.\u201d\u00a0 Doesn\u2019t mean I will love it; just means I am not going to get huffy and angry.\u00a0 I will love them through it and may treat <i>myself<\/i> to a muffin when everyone is where they need to be!<\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2>Good luck, keep smiling, and you can do it!<\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h1><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><b>If you like these tips, you should be signing up for my group coaching class, starting in February.\u00a0 Click <a href=\"https:\/\/mlparentcoach.com\/new\/new\/new\/parenting-online-classes\/\">here<\/a> for more info!<\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Too much. Too much stuff. Too much food, too much junk food, too much technology. Too much family, too much sleep (maybe?), too much togetherness. Too much lack of routine. Whereas adults enjoy our routine and feel quite out of sorts without it, children need routine to continue to thrive, learn, and integrate their young brains. The child\u2019s young brain [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1629","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-parenting"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Routine Re-Up Time! - Meghan Leahy Parent Coach<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mlparentcoach.com\/new\/parenting\/1629\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Routine Re-Up Time! - Meghan Leahy Parent Coach\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Too much. 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