toddler-life

💭 Intro:

There was a time when every morning started the same way.

Rush.
Resistance.
Reminders.
Me snapping.
My toddler crying.
And both of us feeling emotionally drained — before 9 AM.

I hated how it made me feel.
Like I was parenting from the outside-in — just reacting, correcting, rushing.

Then, I made one small change.
Not a Pinterest-perfect routine.
Just a 10-minute shift. And it changed everything.

I realized my son wasn’t the problem.
It was the pace we were stuck in.

I began a simple rule:

The first 10 minutes of the day belong to connection, not correction.

Here’s what that looked like:

Not for work.
Not to clean.
Just to center myself — drink water, breathe, stretch. No phone. No agenda.

This gave me space to enter his world gently, not urgently.

Instead of “We need to go. Hurry up!”
I shifted to playful choices:

“Shall we begin our morning with socks or breakfast?”
“Can you tiptoe like a cat to the bathroom?”
“Let’s race the sun to get ready!”

It made transitions smoother — because he felt included, not commanded.

I stopped trying to multitask (replying to messages, tidying)
during those first few minutes.

Instead, I sat with him.
Made eye contact.
Matched his pace.

It cost me 10 minutes.
But bought us peace for the next 10 hours.

Toddlers don’t understand clocks.
But they deeply understand energy.

When we start the day with connection, they feel safe and seen.
That’s when cooperation becomes possible.

You don’t need a morning routine that looks good online.
You need one that feels good in your heart.

What’s your biggest morning struggle right now?

Drop it in the comments — I’d love to offer ideas that are realistic and guilt-free.

And if you want the exact phrases and checklist I use in our morning —
📩 Drop your email or check out [my Substack here]!