The Editor's Blog

So, The Sunday Telegraph has discovered that there is a new 'witching hour' for mums of school-aged children. Well I couldn't agree with them more. In fact, I wrote about it on my Web Child blog eight months ago.

Now, I know it's a few days until most of our kids return to school so I don't want to thrust any of our readers into a premature nightmare, but perhaps my cautionary tale will actually help you to be a little more organised once that first day arrives. I know I'm going to try my darnedest to have the uniforms ironed the night before. Wish me luck.

Double, Double Toil And Trouble

Once upon a time I had two babies. Indy, who was 16 months old and Levi who was a newborn. It was around this time that I discovered the phenomenon known as 'The Witching Hour'. Anyone who has ever had a baby will be aware of this period - usually between about 5 and 7 in the evening - when little babies become fussy and unsettled for no apparent reason. It has been said that the Witching Hour occurs around the world, across all cultures and races. Its cause - while oft discussed - is still largely a mystery. Now that I occupy an inverse universe as the mother of school-aged children I have found that the Witching Hour hasn't disappeared - it has merely changed its schedule.


Already I hear the collective sound of many mums nodding in agreement - you know the time I'm talking about, don't you? It's that time in the morning - usually prior to about 8 or 8.30 depending on how far from the school you live - when kids need to be woken, fed, washed, dressed and kitted out ready for the day ahead. Sleepy kids, school lunches, un-ironed (or, worse still, dripping wet) uniforms and tangled hair - it is, quite simply, a disaster waiting to happen.


Oh yes, I've read the Supermum Bible and know that I should be laying out my family's entire wardrobe for the week ahead on Sunday night. I also know that I should freeze approximately 50 nutritionally balanced sandwiches at the beginning of the month. But I simply don't do it. Do you know why? Well frankly, if I can fit all that preparation into one hideous hour in the morning (which is probably not going to be a lot of fun no matter which way I tackle it) then I will. It just seems a more economical use of my time. Why spread the work over a large period when you can go the Extreme Parenting route each morning and put some precious minutes in the 'me-time' bank? This means that when I do sit down in the evening I can read a book or watch a movie rather than iron school shirts.


I concede that there does seem to be something twisted in my logic. Maybe I really am just trying to justify my inherent laziness. And I must admit that I am aware that I could make life easier on everyone if I just took a little time to plan our mornings. I think the main mistake I make is to either overestimate the amount of time I have available or to underestimate the time it takes to do things. For example, how long do you think it would take to do the following?

• Wake self
• Do 30 minutes morning exercise
• Buy newspaper and fresh rolls for lunch
• Make own breakfast
• Read newspaper while eating same
• Wake kids
• Iron two uniforms and own work clothes
• Make two healthy and appealing kids' breakfasts
• Make two healthy and appealing kids' lunches
• Remind kids to finish breakfast
• Put toothpaste on toothbrushes
• Remind kids to finish breakfast
• Have shower (while reminding kids through crack in door to finish breakfast)
• Dry self
• Dress self
• Ask kids to brush teeth and wash face
• Brush own teeth (brush son's teeth; wash son's face; brush son's cowlicks)
• Apply make-up
• Blow-dry and attempt to straighten own hair
• Remind kids to get dressed
• Check time
• Shout at kids to get dressed
• Threaten to turn off TV
• Interrupt own hair-drying to rush out in shouty manner and start haphazardly buttoning shirts, tying shoelaces and generally creating havoc
• Check time
• Run around searching for school hats, library books, homework, excursion money and notes.
• Tie own hair back in ponytail (fancy blow-dry disastrous and only one minute left before all must leave house in order to make it to school/work on time)

• Find daughter standing behind me with tangled head of hair proffering hairbrush
• Insert your preferred ending here

So how long did you allow for me to complete my morning duties? I usually allow 45 minutes. Any tips?


Do you have a morning rush in your house? Which time of the day do you find most challenging?