Morning Kiss

403 words

How To Turn a Precious Morning Into A Great Day
by Dianne Roth

Mornings are precious times. Every morning has the possibility of becoming a great day or just another collection of tough hours.

As adults we more or less have some say on how our days begin. A cup of tea, a piece of toast with good cheese, and I am off to a good start. It takes just a moment to notice morning colors and morning smells. That is about the same time it takes for me to set out on the wrong foot. If I go to bed late or stay in bed a minute too long, I miss the special morning moments. The day gets off to a rough start.

With children in the house it is harder. Getting them to bed on time is essential to morning well-being. I had a rule, “If you cannot get out of bed in the morning, you must have gone to bed too late the night before.” Any hassles in the morning meant an earlier bedtime that night. Do you hear the logical consequence?

Getting them out of bed smoothly was crucial. If you want it to be cozy, it takes a few extra minutes. It might mean a moment sitting on the side of each child’s bed to wake them up. Or, it might mean ignoring a behavior until after school, so you do not send them out the door with a negative comment.

Children walk through the door of my classroom and, with a glance, I can tell what kind of a morning it has been. They come to class hungry, tired, and cranky. There is little that can be done at school to improve a day that started badly at home.

Recently, I was walking down the hall beside a little boy from another first grade classroom. He was holding his cheek. Children will do this to hide bruises, so I was concerned. I fell into his pace and chatted. I asked, “Why are you holding your cheek?” He answered, “My daddy kissed me.”

I was completely taken by surprise. I asked him if he was holding on to the kiss. He told me he always holds his daddy’s kisses when it is rainy and windy outside.

Without even meeting him, I knew that daddy was a master of the morning send-off. A few extra moments was all it took for him to turn a rainy, windy morning into a great day.

Dianne Roth is a teacher, mother, grandmother, and freelance writer. She lives in Oregon.