In some ways, I believe I was born to be mum. In other ways, I am hopeless.

Like this whole routine business. They wrote about it in parenting books. Every parent I know does it, well. But routine? We have never quite managed it.

The bedtime routine is classic. Dinner, bath, toothbrush, jammies, books, bed. The sequence provides cues for bedtime.

Because my daughter loves going to bed with her jutie and someone to cuddle, we have never had to rely on a bed time routine. We do most of those things, but never all, and never in order.

Often we are out late, and feed her in the car on the way home.

Sometimes she baths or showers with us in the morning, or not at all.

We always do teeth. That’s the only constant.

We have many rituals. A long, continental breakfast – a spread of meats, cheeses, salad, bread and mustard. We go out for coffee regularly. We read together. Lie in bed together as a family. Our day is woven from rituals. But no routine.

Pre-school starts next Monday. This will be Elka’s introduction to routine. And I agree, kids benefit from routine. It’s grounding in a highly stimulating, sometimes crazy world. Kids like predictability.

Maybe my child craves it? Maybe, in some ways, I am hopeless, because I have never successfully implemented a routine.

So, in preparation for pre-school and for the first time in three years, Elka has her first bedtime routine.

bedtime routine

Dinner. Bath. Teeth. Jammies. Books. Jutie. Bed. She got pretty excited about it. What’s next? I said. Teeth! she yelled jubilantly.

Do you do routines?

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{linking with Jess at Essentially Jess, because it’s Tuesday}