Eliminate any school run stress with these handy tips
Eliminate any school run stress with these handy tips
Getting your kids in the car for the school run is the final, painful hurdle in what seems like an endless early morning assault course.
You’ve completed the Cheerios challenge, the school tie tying event, the homework shuffle, the packed lunch crush and the most harrowing competition of all – the shoe-putting-on-a-thon. So how can you make this most stressful of times go like clockwork? Here’s a handy guide.
Give yourself plenty of time
Yes, we know there’s a weird warping of the space-time continuum between 7am and 8.30am. Minimise that by getting bags and packed lunches ready the night before. Then set your alarm ten minutes earlier and pretend to your kids that it’s later than it is. Look, anything is worth a try at this time of the day (even lying).
Always carry supplies
Wet wipes and hairbands and cold bottled water, tissues and cereal bars and spare Tangle Teezers… these definitely will be a few of your favourite things on school days. Especially when you turn round at the traffic lights and see that you have toothpaste-encrusted, dehydrated children with hair like David Bowie in Labyrinth.
Keep a spare coat or school jumper in the car
You’ve navigated out of the drive, and you’re on the road with kids safely belted in the back. Hurray! But wait, one of them has forgotten their coat/school jumper and it’s minus three outside, but you can’t turn around now. So just as you might keep a spare tyre or anti-freeze in the boot, it’s a good idea to keep change of clothes for school gate weather emergencies.
Make sure your car is up to the task
Is your car always breaking down? A reliable and safe vehicle is a top priority. Why not bring it in for a service when you’ve dropped the kids off?
Offer a few incentives
Some may call them threats, but ‘incentives’ is much nicer, don’t you think? Tell your children that if they don’t squabble, scream or hit each other in the car that they may qualify for a shot on the iPad / a couple of Percy Pig sweets / an after-school playdate. Or, if you’ve got the energy, make it into that classic game ‘Whoever can keep quiet for longest gets a special treat.’
Sing away the school run blues
If the kids are still causing merry hell in the backseat, crank up that radio to 11 and sing Bruno Mars as loudly as is humanly possible. Other people will think you’re having a lovely family sing-a-long and nobody will be able to hear the wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Keep a bit of spare change in the car
Whether your kids need dinner money or a pound for World Book Day / Non-uniform day / Day of the week with a ‘Y’ in it, you can avoid stress on the way to school by stashing a few coins in the glove compartment.
Bring along some entertainment
The school run might be ten minutes or half an hour, but make sure there’s something to do in the car, like books to read, card games or colouring-in. (Nothing messy, though, or you will find yourself back at square one.) Upgrading your vehicle to a newer model with an in-car entertainment system may also be a wise investment – although it might prove a challenge to get them out.
Above all, drive safely
Keep your eyes on the road and make sure your kids know that it’s dangerous to distract you, kick your seat or interfere with your driving in any way. If things get on top of you, stop and take a breather – remember; it’s more important to stay safe than it is to get to school on time.
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