THE TIME IS HEALTH

ORGANIZE THE TIME

One of the most difficult roles that I have as mum is leaving home, when there are days, that I have to go and buy, to get the lunch with friends or go to the doctor or whatever…, and did not prepare things in advance day ohhh I can become a authentic stress or worst.

I have to go with four children, are what I have now at home, not every day of the week, you have to have all sorts of unexpected unreasonably.

The worst thing you can do is get hysterical

·      As you prepare to leave the house, they may refuse to put their shoes on. Or when they do, they do it reeaalllyyyy slllooooowwwllyy and you are about to explode with frustration. Then you finally get them in the car, after one of them has done the back-arch technique so skillfully you’ve had to literally climb in the car and put your full weight against them to bend them in the middle enough to get the buckle done up. So now you’re late AND really cranky.

·      As the traffic slows and you are being held up (or there is someone driving painfully slow in front of you), you get more and more tense.  The kids start to whinge or fight, or niggle at each other, and you’re so wound up that you snap at them. You may even scream your head off at them if you’re really uptight.  Tears all around…

And you know this is not how you’d like it to be – you want to have more patience with your children. You want to be able to stay calm. Especially when it’s you that has dragged them away from what they were quite happy doing at home or in the Playground!

You won’t be surprised to hear that if you’d made enough time to get to your appointment that you wouldn’t be so wound up, and they wouldn’t be so tense in response. You need to leave ‘in time’ rather than ‘on time’.

This happens when we do not organize

So how do you leave in time? Simple – you analyse how long it really takes to leave the house!

·      Let’s say you know it takes you 10 minutes to drive from your house to where it is you’re going. 

·      Then you add 5 minutes either side for loading kids, Blanky, Fluffy, prams and bags in and out of the car.

·      Then allow another 10 minutes if you have one in nappies because after all, they often so artfully choose the moment that you’re locking the house up to suddenly smell really bad.

·      Then allow another 10 minutes for the finding-and-putting-on-shoes routine and possible associated tantrum (if they’re in the “I do it” phase but they can’t really do it yet),

·      and another 3 for the ‘I forgot my truck/glitter headband and I will DIE without it’ trip back inside.

·      And 2 minutes for you to find your handbag and keys (15 if you don’t have a home for them!).

Based on those quick estimates, for a 3pm appointment that is 10 minutes drive away, you should start getting ready to go out the door at 2:15pm. Now, that doesn’t count your preparation for the appointment, such as paperwork or forms.  Those need to be prepared well in advance – usually the day before… It is difficult, but our lives as mothers of large families will go better.

Relax!!! Is the The best remedy for the children and For Us

If you leave in time, you don’t need to nag or rush your children, and they won’t resist as much because you have time to give them warnings about when things are happening. You’ll be relaxed, and if they do choose to fight in the car or whinge the whole way, you’ll be calm enough to ignore it. And your relationship with your children will be so much better for it. You might even get there early enough to spend some quality time with them, reading or going for a short walk!

And for those of you without young children there is still something to be gleaned from this – avoid stress by preparing well in advance and allowing time for everything that might occur that could make you late. You’ll save a lot of money on speeding tickets and feel a lot calmer overall if you leave in time!

Take courage! I still have not succeeded, but I'm on it!

See you Soon!!!

Ele xox