Schedules
Once you become a mother, there is no escape from these fixed blocks of time. Schedules. A word which sends both shivers and relief instantly into the hearts of mothers. Why do I say shivers? Schedules are supposed to help us, don’t they? Of course, they do. But the panic waves that come along with not adhering to these schedules do send shivers down the spine, don’t they?
Even before the child is delivered, we mothers somehow manage to get into a routine. Like when to eat, what to eat, when to sleep, how long to sleep, when to walk, how much to walk and so on. And, these routines only get more complicated once we deliver. Oh yes.. the schedules get complicated to help our lives from getting complicated.
Anyway, at this stage of life when my kids are about to turn five in the next few months, our schedule on weekdays gives me both jitters and relief at the same time. For one, they have to wake up by 6.30 in the morning. Which means, the waking up routine should begin about half an hour earlier than that. Cooing, cuddling, screaming, hugging are all part of our waking up routine. Bottom line – crying is a big no no in the mornings. If the day begins with a tantrum, then the day overflows with tantrums. So, we try to give as much time as possible for a happy or at least a non-teary wake up. Brushing the teeth and getting ready take about another twenty minutes at least. While the entire world runs like Usain Bolts, the children have this knack of doing things at their own pace. Like standing in front of the tooth brush and examining how many bristles can be found in it. Or, fighting for his/her turn to use the bathroom. Or, just plain sitting and dreaming about God-knows-what.
Another important fight sequence that used to happen in our home is the ‘what to wear’ today. The uniform for the school is just a T-shirt while the kids can wear any pant/shorts to go along with the Tee. Which means every morning we stand before the cupboard taking out one pant/ shorts/ capris/ jeans after another, trying some out and finally decide on what to wear. By the time this dressing up exercise gets done, the entire house would look like a clothe-go-down. I dread our state if the Tee was not provided by the school too! After a lot of such mega clothe cleaning up business days, we zeroed in on a solution some time ago. Every night, before going to bed, we choose which pant we would wear the next day. And, under no circumstances are we allowed to change it. And, yes.. this arrangement saves us from a lot of heartache and tantrums in the mornings.
Then, comes the most toughest part of the day – breakfast. Feeding one egg white and a small bowl of cereal would require the effort and patience of an ascetic. No, I am not kidding, non mothers. It’s only when a piece of egg is about to go into the mouth, does my son realize it is Thursday and they go the nearby park for picking shells. And, so begins the narration of the sequence of events which takes a while to stop so that another piece of egg can be fed. Sigh.
Feeding is succeeded by choosing footwear and refusing to let anyone else’s help in wearing them. It is ours and we will take our own sweet time to put it on. So what if the bus waits for us for a full ten minutes? We shall not let our right go, will we?!
Once the kids are off in the school bus, we (the husband and me) would almost be in the state of wishing each other Good Night only to come back home and realize that the day has just begun; what with half empty milk cups, unmade beds and scattered toys and books. You want to know our evening routine? Well.. That calls for a separate post altogether. Some other time, friends!
Indu is a dreamer by nature; a (former) chartered accountant by profession; and a writer by passion. Her life right now, revolves around her four year old twin boy and girl. The two naughty siblings love to play their pranks on her every day, making her both smile and wince at once. She loves to leave a trail of her life at her blog here.
