Why Some Parenting Routines Work — And Others Turn Into Daily Battles

You built the routine on a Sunday night. Wrote it down, divided it by time slot, explained it to the kids, and felt that quiet satisfaction of someone who has finally gotten their life together.

Monday worked. Tuesday worked with some effort. Wednesday the kid woke up in a bad mood, the coffee got cold, you were late to work, and the routine went out the window with all of it.

And by Thursday you were winging it again — with that uncomfortable feeling that maybe the problem is you, who can’t seem to keep anything going for more than 48 hours.