One of our team shares their reflective thoughts during lockdown ….

The natural rhythm of lockdown

Cast your minds back to a ‘normal’ school day morning….get up, dressed and out the door to deliver one or more children to school. Was it calm? Any Arguments? Any stresses about lost PE kits or forgotten lunch boxes? …. I remember it so very well; although in some ways it does seem like a long time ago!

The reason I remember it well, is because I admit that my daughter and I struggled, most mornings, to achieve the above without at least one argument, without feeling like we just couldn’t do it without falling out….. I NEVER understood why. Especially given that I never experienced the same with my other child.  On the days where my jug wasn’t full, inevitably, I wondered why ‘she’ just couldn’t do it without ‘showing off.’  (oops!)

Three weeks into lockdown and I’m so grateful for the insight it’s given me.  Apparently, (the science-y bit!) we all have our own natural sleep/ wake patterns and internal rhythms which contribute to whether we are ‘night owls’ or ‘early birds’. Turns out, my daughter is not an early bird! Her natural rhythm is sleeping a little longer in the morning…. So, it stands to reason that waking her up for school and ‘forcing’ her into a routine before her body is naturally awake and ready wouldn’t be met with the smiley, happy, mild natured girl I know she is! I also know that it’s not a hatred of school, or learning, because she has embraced ‘home learning’ and been incredibly productive, albeit a little later in the day than my other child!

But, we aren’t going to be in lockdown forever (honestly!) and one day, school will start again. We will be back to the usual routines of everyday life. My daughter will once again be woken before she’s ready and resist routine….so what can be done? How can WE adjust, to approach those fraught mornings more effectively in the future?

I know I am going to be more accepting of her need to get up slower. I am going to try harder to:

• NOT ‘get in the ring’ with her knowing that it’s not because she hates school, or learning, or me! But she is probably just not yet awake.
• Make sure my jug is full before getting her up and help her, and
• where possible, prepare more the night before when she is naturally more awake and productive…..even if I’m not! ….

So, are you a night owl or an early bird? What is your child / children? ….. let us know your thoughts and any of our strategies you use to make the mornings / or even the evenings more peaceful!

You may also be interested in: 

How to support my child at home

and

Top Tips to Keep calm with the children at home 

and

Video top tips for positive behaviour 

and

Top Tips for helping with school closures 

and

How to talk to your children about Covid 19 

and

Emergency Contact Numbers 

and

Behaviour Flowchart 

and

Signing up to our Newsletters 

and

https://www.sharingparenting.com/2019/08/15/a-to-z-of-parenting/

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