Before the school run

Everything we say about the first hour assumes a quiet house, and a lot of us have not had a quiet house in years. The first hour, for most of us, is a lost shoe, a spilt drink, a reading book that was definitely in the bag last night, and somebody crying about a sock.

So what does "start strong" mean with children in it?

Mostly it means they see you do it. Children do not learn a morning from being told about one. They learn it from watching what you do between waking and the front door, and they copy it with terrifying accuracy. If the first thing they see is a parent on a phone, that is the morning they will build for themselves. If they see you drink a glass of water, step outside for a minute, eat something real and not shout, they will do that too, eventually, without ever being asked.

The practical version. Light first, so open the curtains and get everybody outside for the walk to school if it is at all possible. Water before anything else. One real breakfast, sat down, even for ten minutes. And the phone stays face down until the door closes behind them.

You will not manage it every day. Manage it more days than not and they have a morning they will keep for life.