A Year of Gratitude #65

 

A Year of Gratitude #65: Routines

As a teacher I lived by a schedule. I knew how much time I had for morning work, reading, math, science, social studies, recess, snack, read aloud, silent reading, writing, character education, lunch, and packing up at the end of the day. Having a routine not only helped save my sanity, but it helped my students know what to expect and gave them a sense of calmness and serenity.

When things are not routine, it can be VERY chaotic and crazy. I learned that you can't be too focused on maintaining the schedule and you must be somewhat flexible for the "life happens" moments. However, there was always an over-all plan in place and it helped everyone involved.

I feel like teaching for ten years has totally prepared me for motherhood. There are definitely times when I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing, but for the most part, I have it under control, and there's a plan in place.

We have a daily schedule that we follow during the week. The weekends are a hot mess because Steve's home with us and he adds a different dynamic to our day. When Steve's not with us, there's a set routine that we follow and Gus has adapted to it quite well. It's like clock-work and runs beautifully.

I'm thankful today, that I took the time to establish a routine with him (from the time he was born) and have stayed with it. As he's gotten older, the routine has pretty much stayed the same, but there's been some adjusting. He no longer takes two naps, and is down to just one. That's been the biggest adjustment that we've had to face recently.

I have a schedule for the day on the fridge and so far Gus has been too little to understand it. He's still a wee bit too young, but in the very near future we'll be able to use it as it's intended.

I like having a plan in place for the day and knowing what to expect. I think Gus does too and it's helped build his trust that he's safe and secure. He never has to feel like there's no stability and things are changing from one minute to the next. I try to keep a calm household and one where he knows that we can adapt our schedule as needed, but that we have something in place for our sanity.

I'm thankful for our routine. I'm thankful that at 1:00 he starts to yawn, and will go to the stairs because he knows it's nap time. I'm grateful that I've been able to provide a sense of routine into his life. I hope it's something I can maintain for a long time to come... the world is full of routines!