I’ve always dreamt of stress-free mornings for my family. The kind where everyone is in a happy mood and can have breakfast together without going at each other’s throats. In reality, the mornings in my family were rushed and chaotic with everyone running around like headless chickens on a serious mission.
The problem wasn’t that we weren’t organised, it’s just that no one in my family is a morning person except for me. While I have no trouble waking up without having to hit the snooze button, the same can’t be said for my husband and kids. And when they finally did wake up, they’d go around their morning ablutions like sedated zombies until they had 10 minutes left to leave the house and then, all hell would break loose.
Sure, this wasn’t a serious problem, but I really wanted our family to enjoy their mornings and begin the day on a good note. While thinking of the best ways to motivate my family, I was taken back to my own childhood days where mornings were absolutely blissful most of the times. I remembered waking up to my mom playing her favourite song, Abba’s “Mamma Mia” every morning. I’d be out of my bed and in the shower singing and dancing in no time. This tradition continued in our family for years, though the songs changed over time. I obviously forgot all about it when I moved out of the house and got older.
I decided to follow my mother’s footsteps. It was either that or settle for grumpy faces in the morning. My family’s similar taste in music made it easier to make a playlist that everyone would like. My husband was the first one to be out of bed the day I started playing music on our home theatre system. He came into the kitchen, less groggy than usual and gave me a peck before heading to the kids’ rooms to wake them up.
As the days passed by, my family’s mood changed drastically. All I expected from this experiment was for my family to wake up in a better mood, but the dance parties were a total surprise. No, there weren’t any synchronised dances, it was just people grooving to the music. After all, what kind of person can stay still when Walk The Moon is asking you to Shut up and dance?
If you walk into our house in the mornings now, you’ll still find chaos. But the chaos of a happy bunch of people singing and dancing around. And honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Not only is everyone in a better mood of lately but it sets a happy tone for the day. My kids are less cranky and there is just a very happy and positive vibe all around. This has become my family’s little morning tradition now.
Honestly, I can go on and on about how good it feels to dance it out in the morning… But I’d rather you try it out and experience the magic yourself.
Apart from dancing, the smell of sizzling dosas really puts a smile on everyone’s face in my family. Do you have any tips and tricks that help motivate and inspire your family in the morning?
