Go with the Flow

A while back I posted about how hard it is for toddlers to deal with a change in their routine.  While adults may not get scared when their routine changes without their permission, they can get irritated.  Yet another way in which adults are not so different from toddlers after all.

We used to have a system in this house.  We'd wake up at 8 a.m., I'd give the babies a glass of milk and some dry cereal to munch on while I made breakfast, we'd eat breakfast, my husband would go to work.  This system worked because the babies could not get up the stairs and were content to play downstairs for a little while, as I got myself ready for the day.

The change in the clocks just happened to coincide with my twins discovering they could easily scale the stairs in the morning.  So that my easy morning that started when I was ready for it is no more.  Bright and early at 7 a.m. I inevitably hear the stomp (let's be honest, it's no pitter-patter) of little feet ascending to my bedroom.

"Up!  Up, mama!  No night night.  Wake up. Wake up!  Wet.  Mama, wake up."

I try to delay them, but to no avail.  A wet diaper is a wet diaper and a wet diaper needs changing.  I stagger out of bed, rubbing sleep from my eyes, and if my husband attempts to get up to help, he is reprimanded.

"No, dada.  No.  Dada night night.  No up."

Oh, okay, babies, thanks.  We stumble downstairs and I start my day.  An upside to this new schedule is that my husband has some time in the morning to himself.  I get to drink my coffee in peace as the babies snack on their cheerios and meander online for a few minutes instead of having to rush to get breakfast ready.

Still, the shift hasn't come about without a few hiccups.  It takes me a few days to adjust, and sometimes breakfast is ready too soon.  Sometimes it's not ready in time.  Changing routine on me can make me forgetful, too.  I find myself remembering at the last second these days to pack lunch, whereas before packing lunch was a built-in response to finishing breakfast.

I want to complain about it, but I know it won't do any good.  No reason to stick my heels over something I have no control over.  It's easier for everybody if the adults sometimes accommodate the little ones.  Plus, I'll be used to this new routine before I know it - just in time for my kids to change it up again so that I can be disgruntled and disoriented.

Oh, well.  At least they're cute in the morning.

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