For the past few months, as the clock reaches 7:15 am, those sounds signal the start of my day. My 3 year old son, Micah, wakes up, stretches, moves around a bit in his bed (occasionally talking to himself), then sits up. He crawls to the edge of his bed, slides off the side, then slowly stops and looks around to get his bearings. I know his routine not just simply from picturing him in my head as I hear each sound, but also because I often love to watch him over the video monitor. He quickly unzips his pajamas, rips off his diaper and throws it in the garbage before padding down the hall to our bedroom, little footsteps quietly echoing through the house. He carefully turns the handle and pops the door open, and greets me with a beautiful grin as he softly announces “Good morning, Mommy, I awake!”
Morning rituals are a critical component to sleep – they help children differentiate between night and day, simply by reading body language and behavior. I have never been a morning person, but I truly love our morning rituals. While I still groan at the thought that it is time to wake up and start my day, I have to admit, the feeling is fleeting now, pushed aside by the beautiful, grinning, boyish face that greets me each morning. My joy increases as he bounds across the room and crawls up into bed, launching himself at me for a huge morning hug and kiss before settling down next to me for a snuggle while we wait for his sister to wake up. Sometimes we turn on Sesame Street, but mostly, I like to sit and cuddle for a bit before launching my day.
Usually, right around 7:45, my younger daughter, Maya, joins the fray. She usually makes a quiet gasping sound, starts to babble a bit (or calls out “Mommy!”), and for good measure begins to bang her feet on the wall. I don’t even need a monitor for her…I know she is awake when the walls begin to rattle. I head on in to get her (sometimes with Micah in tow), and I say “Good morning, sunshine! I’m so happy to see you!” Maya now responds and says “Good morning, Mommy.” I usually stand by the side of her crib for a few minutes, and we play a game of sorts as she hides from me while I try to convince her to stand up so I can lift her out of the crib.
When she is ready, she stands and collects her pacis, her book, her lovey, and occasionally her baby doll, and I carry the entire menagerie to the changing table. If I send my husband in, Maya tends to start yelling “Not you!!” at him, so for now, morning wake up is usually all me. I change Maya’s diaper (and she instructs me as to which diaper she would like to wear and whether or not she would like diaper cream), and we pick out an outfit for the day. We then walk over to the crib, leave her pacis and lovey there for later and say “bye, bye” to them. Maya then usually says “I go see Daddy, Micah and puppy CC,” so we head back to the bedroom to say good morning to everyone. A few moments later, we gather together and head downstairs.
Micah usually likes to play (or beg for the tv or iPad) first thing in the morning, but Maya likes to get her sippy cup of milk and sit at the kitchen counter in a chair to help me make breakfast. I negotiate with the children about breakfast (Micah yells “eggs!” while Maya yells “not eggs, not eggs!” until I announce something profound like “French toast it is!” – which occasionally send them both into fits of hysterics). I do my best to keep a general order to our morning…breakfast, play time, getting dressed, departure for school/babysitter/activities. I tell them our plans for the day to help them prepare and transition, and I give them 2 minute warnings before we end each phase and move on to the next. I often feel as if I’m running around like a chicken with my head cut off as I prepare breakfast, get my husband to walk the dog, pull lunch together, dress the children, shower and dress myself, wrangle the dog, clean up from breakfast while simultaneously juggling a few client calls, checking email and responding to inquiries.
Without a doubt, our rituals have developed and evolved over time…as my children grow older, our routines expand to embrace their contributions as well. I try to be consistent from day to day, because the more the routine is predictable, the more my children cooperate. Yes, I still struggle to get us all fed, dressed, organized and out the door on time every morning. But I wouldn’t trade our morning rituals, the smiles, the grins, and yes, even the tears for anything. Well, perhaps I’d trade the tears.
What a beautiful description of your family’s morning ritual. Thanks, Jessica!