Rediscovering A Routine Just In Time For Back To School Season
No jury of my peers could possibly find fault with my decision to make sleepy time a sort of free-for-all during the summer months, right? I mean, after 44 weeks of rigid routine and hectic mornings rushing to get into the school drop-off line on time, the idea of allowing later PMs and stress free AMs is, quite literally, the least I can do for my two daughters. There’s only one tiny problem with this relaxed summer attitude: Back to School!
A structured routine of balanced meals, physical activity, and a good night sleep is crucial to sane mornings for all involved. After a summer off, the internal timing of my two kids is wackier than a Saturday morning cartoon cuckoo clock! With the start of the new school year less than two weeks away, I’m beginning to panic about my ability to regain some semblance of order in my family’s days and nights in time for the opening bell!
My kids’ routine has not been the only causality: I’m a mess too! Sure, we’ve spent days hiking Crater Lake in Oregon, leaving only footprints behind, and exploring funky new neighborhoods, but the regularly scheduled morning workouts and well-portioned home cooked meals that have framed our energy balance success over the past year have all but disappeared
As a Together Counts™ Ambassador I’m keenly aware of the need to reach a proper energy balance for my kids and myself, so that each of us has what we need to be productive, strong and healthy. For children still growing up and forming their own habits, this is even more essential. When we were exploring the diverse donut culture of Portland, our calorie intake was being offset by hefty doses of urban walking and off-the-beaten-path hiking, so I didn’t worry too much. I understood how much physical activity we were partaking in together on a daily basis – that’s the core idea of energy in and energy out! Now that we are home, school is upon us, and the hiking boots cleaned and put away, I am back into a rhythm serving appropriate portions of nutritious snacks and opening up the backdoor to a yard that, for years, has been the catalyst for active, imaginative play. With any luck, the balance I’m striking during the final two weeks of summer break will keep my girls happy, healthy and alert throughout their long school days.
Jeff Bogle is Together Counts Ambassador, and an at-home dad who writes humorously about parenting and All Things Childhood on his site Out With The Kids. His work also frequently appears on The Huffington Post and The Good Men Project, among other print and online outlets.