I Work From Home, Here’s What I Told My Angry Toddler Every Morning To Have a Productive Day

The best morning routine you could have to avoid cranky kids while working from home

“This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger” — James 1:19

Are you tired (emotionally drained) from the doors slamming, the yelling, the feet stomping and sometimes even the biting?… Yeah, me too. That’s why I today follow all the steps I’m about to give you to be the successful and productive mom that you have always wanted to be towards that little feisty toddler of yours. Ya welcome, mama!

I get it. You want to be the cool mom AND the calm mom. Believe me, you can have both. The downside? It might take some more work to get there. But hey it’s better than your toddler screaming at you while you’re trying to take a business call because you can’t pour them another cup of juice. I’m just glad my little one hasn’t tried to do this himself yet. Although I did just catch him eating his dad’s candy bar from the top cabinet with our step ladder. Talk about an independent kid!

Anyways, I used to mumble under my breath a lot and scream on the inside trying to keep it all together acting like I’m the productive mom I want to be. But then it hit me. How am I being the productive mom if I’m just looking like one? And not actually telling my toddler or asking him or her a series of questions that could ultimately make them productive as well? Because we all just want the best for our children and really by us being productive is getting ours to kids to be too.

1.) “I’m here if you need help making the bed.”

To be productive first starts with every morning of making your bed. To be a productive mom it first starts with teaching your kids to make their bed every morning. And instead of asking “do you need help?”, inform them with saying “I’m here to help if you need me.” This way you’re not providing them with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question. Whenever I would ask my son a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question, I would 9/10 times get the answer ‘no’. And the reason is because kids are more likely to give up on something when it is a chore or something they don’t want to do. Trust me, they’d much rather have their mommy do it for them.

2.) “Let’s open the blinds so we can open our minds!”

This one sounds a bit silly, I know! But it works! Not saying you have to actually say this but the underlying point is so kids can start their day with their bodies naturally producing vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. Vitamin D is so so so important for brain function, linear growth, and the reason I’m mentioning it in this post: your kid’s mood! A good reminder of this is sunlight = serotonin.

3.) “Let’s exercise so we can be healthy and happy!”

Studies have shown that exercise wards off anxiety a.k.a something we see as mood swings in younger children.

There’s all kinds of exercises for kids to enjoy all over the internet. Just look some up! My favorite to do with my toddler is yoga because it is just hilarious watching them try to do what you do.

4. My favorite Audrey Hepburn quote.

“Life is a party. Dress like it.” -A.H.

Not saying it has to be your favorite but it is most definitely mine by the lovely and late Miss Audrey Hepburn. This saying just flows with positivity for the day. So, basically, in other words I’m saying get dressed for the day and dress your toddler for the day as well! It will make you both feel so much much more prepared to take on the day. To answer the door when the mailman or someone unexpectedly drops by and overall encourages you to take action and be productive better than if you were to stay in the stale clothes you slept in.

5. “Pray before you start your day.”

I 100% believe how we start our morning determines how our day will go. Speaking from personal experience, I am just a monster if I don’t open up my Bible and have my one on one with God before I start my day. Who’s to say my kid won’t be the same way?

I like to thank God for waking me up every morning. Why not teach our children to do the same? It teaches them gratitude and faithfulness. In my opinion, that’s better than a cup of coffee. (Or a cup of juice or milk for them.)

6. “It’s time to tidy up our home now so we both can enjoy the rest of the day.”

A clean home is a happy home and I’m one of those firm believers, even if it’s not an actual verse in the Bible, that cleanliness is next to Godliness. And your child(ren) will be sure to appreciate this too.

I confess to being one of those moms in the past that were too busy making memories I didn’t have much time to clean. But quickly, I learned my child is still going to remember the good times we share. And keeping a clean home didn’t need to be sacrificed for the sake of it. We still have a good time helping each other keep the house fresh and organized.

Tidying up the house with your youngster will automatically help relieve and prevent stress in their little but mighty minds. Remember, they are people just like us only smaller and are learning something new everyday.

By making room (literally,) it makes room in their headspace. Just like it does in ours. We are never too busy making memories that we forget to actually create space for those memories to come.

7. Compliments = confidence.

A toddler needs confidence. Think about it. We as adults are constantly telling them what to do and how to do it. Wouldn’t that break your self-esteem if you had someone bossing you around all day? I know it would me. Feeling like I just can’t do anything right. Shew. That takes a toll on me and would ultimately make me feel infuriated; even if that person was just trying to help out. I wouldn’t see it that way and I also wouldn’t feel it that way. So why do we expect the opposite from our toddlers?

We honestly don’t know how often they truly put themselves down. That’s why starting out the day with love and complements is starting it out the right way.

8. Read something uplifting and motivating to them.

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing–that’s why we recommend it daily.” — Zig Ziglar, war veteran + motivational author

9. “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”

I know, I know. We’ve all heard this but it’s true! As long as what we give our bodies and our kids bodies a healthy and balanced meal it is.

Here is what I tell my son: “if we put in junk, junk is what we feel.” And I always ask him if that’s what he wants to feel and of course the answer is no. And so he agrees with me on what he should eat too.

If we eat like our bodies are important to us then we will feel like we are important which we know we are; but when we feel it too, we do important things. We want the same for our kiddos.

10. “I love you.”

This is pretty simple and basic but it’s definitely something our kids need to hear everyday and it’s some kind of wonderful to hear it first thing in the morning.

Telling them they are loved puts their whole day ahead of them in perspective and they treasure that saying. Love is something you can’t feel too much of.

Those three little words mean three BIG things. One is that you acknowledge them. Second is you care for them. And third is you are thinking of them.

These magical words serve as the great reminder to our little (sometimes) angry one that they are still cherished. It teaches them that no matter what they say to us, we say what we’re saying louder (with of course speaking it in a calm manner) because we’re speaking with love. Which is louder than any hurtful comment.

“Hatred stirs up conflict,

but love covers over all wrongs.” — Proverbs 10:12 NIV

You are not alone in this journey! I know as a mom, amongst many others that it can be very hard raising a (not always but sometimes) angry child.

Please follow along with me on my journey as I work from home and continue to share more stories!