I’m probably the number one spokesperson for routine. My life thrives on a schedule. So naturally I decided to impart my “crazy” on my child from the time he was 6 months. I see plenty benefits of it now, but there are moments I question “what is the point of this routine thing anyway.”

I myself don’t always stick to schedules and I essentially enjoy the freedom to say “bump the schedule!” I usually feel like poop afterwards because I am just that anal and sometimes the world can seem out of order and overwhelming if I don’t stick to routine. 

Yes, experts say things like:

• Children feel safe and stable when they know whats coming next
• Routines teach kids about boundaries
• The repetitiveness of experiences helps lay down critical pathways in the brain
• Children will be less anxious and less prone to temper tantrums 

Order brings calm to the storm, order prevents Tsunamis (and I’m not talking about the natural disasters of the earth), order helps a child build his memory and so much more. Routines bring about this kind of order.

So I can agree and say these things:

• Routine has helped my son tremendously in potty training (thats a given)

• Routine encourages him to be excited about learning and trying new things—always knowing to what part of the day he’s about to transition 

• Routine has helped him transition from activity to another without having a complete meltdown

But routine is not always what it’s cracked up to be. There are moments I question the sacred cow.

If your mind is programmed to think a certain way and carry things out in a particular order, I can imagine the toll on the brain to operate outside of that. I can honestly say that was me once. Things didn’t make sense outside of my structured way of thinking and I missed opportunities to learn in different ways.

I’ve learned that when you allow yourself to have flexibility, there is more room for creativity and more room to learn how to navigate the unexpected things in a chaotic world (in my current case, motherhood).

Am I an obsessed mom jumping the gun? Hmm. Maybe. But what the heck.

I think that while children thrive off of stability and routine, we can also throw in some organized chaos. I have a very strong feeling that maybe, just maybe, it will teach children how to deal with change, how to deal with situations that thwart their plans. 

So how do I do that? More importantly, how do you do that?

Keep an order of the day, but be open to be flexible with what you do in that day.

• You can still cover colors, numbers and shapes by going to a grocery store, the mall and/or a park and actively engage your child in the shapes around him. By pointing out the things around him, you not only make him aware that those things are in our everyday life, but wear him out in your travels for that lovely nap you’ve been awaiting all day.

• Don’t be so married to nap times that make you run home every time your kid is due for one. I would say definitely start with making sure naps are always in house, but to eventually become flexible with location so he’s just as flexible. My son has learned to sleep wherever we are right around the time he’s supposed to nap. Nobody likes to be confined and limited. I certainly don’t.

I’ve only been a mom for a little over 2 years which by no means would validate my theories (particularly because every child is different), but the worst you could do is try. You’re instincts will be right the majority of the time.

I don’t always know what flexibility is going to look like in terms of homeschooling my son, but I’m looking forward to the journey of figuring it out. I hope you’re ready for the ride.

If you are putting a lot of pressure on yourself to do well (like my crazy self), take the time to breathe, adjust and work it out.

Kids are learning everyday, just by you being who you are and living the way you do.