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Parenting Tip | School Mornings, Breakfast and Lunch Planning

heather • April 29, 2024

I can not tell you how easeful this has made our mornings

We love our lists. I started teaching my daughter about lists long ago. They became incredibly valuable during the pandemic. Listing fun things we COULD do to fill our days along with RESPONSIBILITIES to balance out the fun. We did this to create structure and harmony for our days, amidst the absolute chaos of that global crisis.

Crises aside, structure begets a sense of safety. It creates order and that creates predictability. Don’t we all love when things go according to plan.

The thing about home life, is we need to make a plan and help teach our children about, planning.

This weekend, I identified that some of our chaos in the am, a place for improvement, is with meal planning - specifically breakfast and lunch.

To add to the hustle and bustle and tiredness of 6am wakeups and attempts to be out of the house by 715am, was always this,

“What do you want for breakfast!”

“I don’t know what do we have?”

Then I would scramble through the pantry and fridge and freezer. I’d offer options.

“Uh, I don’t know I’ll figure it out when I come down,” she’d answer after my proposals.

Now double this conversation for the topic of lunch.

Why not plan ahead?

So, we did. Sunday, she set out to list her breakfast and lunch preferences for the days she’s with me, as the other half of the week she’s with her dad. I can not tell you how easeful this has made our mornings.

For us both!

I’ll add, I love the breakfast plan for Wednesday. See, our routine is Starbucks Wednesdays, with a girlfriend of hers whom we carpool to school. Do you see what she wrote there?

“Split smoothie before Starbucks for other nutrients”

Something else I’ve been teaching her for a long time, nutritious eating. (A post for another day)

Parent wins happen in small steps and small ways. If you’re looking for more parenting wins with your kiddos, reach out. As a long time parent therapist turned parenting coach, there are so many ways I can support you in improving the relationship you have with your children.