For working parents with busy schedule, mornings are hell: preparing meals, ironing clothes, feeding the children, packing lunches, ensuring everyone has what they need for the day... But I'm pleased to say my perspective on mornings is sunnier than most parents, though being woken at 6 am by kids was hardly a welcome addition to the night owl like me.
The different views first arise partly from opinions on television. I don't see the harm in letting my kids watch a bit of television before school, so long as they still make time to get dressed, eat breakfast and brush their teeth. This balance took years to achieve: a routine steadily drilled into them via daily practice -pause the TV program with complaints and screams-to fulfil each everyday activity; but, now they've observed that the quicker they perform their essential tasks, the quicker their entertainment will restart.
With morning necessities completed with speed and proficiency, then comes the 15-minute walk to school. In our family, it's me and the dog who do the school run, and it's actually one of my favourite times of the day. This quarter of an hour provides me privileged access to my kids when they're at their freshest; rather than at the end of the day, when they're tired, hungry and annoyed. They ask stimulating questions, "How is ice cream made?" "How long would it take to drive to Mars?", but they usually can't hear my answers over the drowning noise of the traffic.
Best of all, there's the walk back: just me and the dog, enjoying the silence. A moment to recharge and reset, ahead of a day's work, and I am grateful for the joy of my family, and perhaps more grateful still that someone has just taken them off my hands for the day. Oh, what a beautiful morning!
