If you are like many single parents, you try to keep your family life on some sort of routine. If you are anything like me, you might even come to depend upon your routine and use the organization as a way to kick off day after day. Alas, the time comes when the routine needs to be changed—whether because they kids have gotten older, or you change jobs, or some other reality that forces a change in the way you get going in the morning. HOW you go about making the change to your morning routine can be as important as why you need to do it.
Have patience with yourself (and your kids) when you need to change the morning routine. Depending on how long you have been doing things the way you are, it could take a while for everyone to get used to doing things differently. If it is not something that needs to be done immediately, you might try making a plan for how to gradually implement the changes. For example, if you are going to have to start going in to work earlier, so everything will need to get started earlier at your house, if you have a week or two, you can work on getting everyone used to getting up earlier and doing their morning tasks—without the pressure of worrying about being late. By the time you have to “go live” with your changes, the family will be relatively used to a new routine.
If your children are of reading age, you might consider making a new schedule and/or a chart to encourage the changes. I am also a big fan of rewards—especially a group reward for getting through the first day or week of the new routine—take yourselves out for ice cream or to a movie to encourage the teamwork it takes to make a change to your typical morning routine.