The Morning Battle: When Every Day Feels Like a Struggle

Mornings in Frederick and Danielle’s house weren’t just stressful, they were a daily endurance test.

Their two children, Chaos (5) and Anarchy (2), lived up to their names. One refused to wear anything but a superhero cape, while the other had declared war on socks. Breakfast was a battleground, getting dressed was an obstacle course, and brushing teeth? Let’s not even talk about that.

Danielle was exhausted before the day even started. She had been running on fumes for months, trying to hold everything together while feeling like she was constantly playing catch-up.

Frederick wanted to help, but mornings were just as overwhelming for him. His ADHD made it difficult to wake up, let alone organise two hyperactive children who seemed determined to resist every instruction. If Danielle was drowning, he was barely keeping his head above water too.

And then they started noticing something else, Chaos and Anarchy weren’t just being difficult. The impulsivity, the inability to transition between tasks, the way they could hyperfocus on nonsense but forget the simplest instructions… It all seemed eerily familiar.

Maybe their mornings weren’t just chaotic because they were bad at parenting. Maybe their kids had ADHD too.

Something had to change.

The Breakthrough: A Morning Routine Chart That Changed Everything

After one too many meltdown-filled mornings, Frederick and Danielle decided to try something different.

The solution? A wall chart.

Not just any chart, a structured, friendly morning routine board designed to establish an ADHD morning routine for Kids

Here’s how it worked:

✅ An ADHD morning routine for Kids with clear morning tasks, wake up, get dressed, brush teeth, eat breakfast. No guesswork. Just follow the board.
✅ A reward system, points for each completed task.
✅ One weekly winner, who got to make a small decision, like choosing the route to school or what to have for Friday night dinner.

At first, Chaos and Anarchy resisted, because, of course, they did.

But after three days of protest, something amazing happened.

• They started following the chart (without constant nagging).
• The screaming matches reduced.
• Frederick actually felt in control, because, as it turned out, structure helped his ADHD too.

For the first time in years, mornings didn’t feel like a disaster waiting to happen.

Why It Works (According to Actual Experts, Not Just Tired Parents)

🧠 Children Need Structure (Even If They Pretend They Don’t)

Dr. Laura Markham, author of Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids, explains:

“A predictable routine reduces anxiety and improves cooperation.” (source)

Translation: If you don’t have an ADHD morning routine for Kids, they’ll create their own, and it won’t be the one you want.

🏆 Competition Is a Secret Weapon

Suddenly, morning routines became a game instead of a battle.

• Chaos was racing to get dressed first.
• Anarchy was actually putting both shoes on.

Why? Because winning = dopamine, and dopamine is every ADHD brain’s best friend.

💬 Lowering Your Voice = More Authority

Frederick had been pleading with the kids every morning, and they knew it.

So he tried something different, lowering his voice an octave.

Suddenly, he wasn’t the hapless negotiator, he was the calm, in-control leader. And the kids? They actually listened.

🛑 Only One Parent Controls the Stickers

Danielle and Frederick realised one crucial rule:

• Only one of them could control the stickers on the reward chart.
• Otherwise, Chaos and Anarchy would find loopholes faster than a tax lawyer.

How Life Changed After Implementing an ADHD morning routine for Kids with the Routine Chart

✔️ Mornings stopped feeling like a battlefield.
✔️ The kids actually knew what to do without constant reminders.
✔️ Both parents felt more in control instead of overwhelmed.
✔️ Frederick found mornings easier too, because structure helped him focus.

It was still far from perfect, but compared to the two-hour meltdown-fest they used to endure, it was a massive improvement.

7 Steps to Take Back Your Mornings

If your house feels like a circus every morning, try this:

1. Create a ADHD morning routine for Kids with the Visual Morning Routine Chart
   • Keep tasks simple.
   • Use pictures for younger kids.
2. Make It a Competition
   • Reward small wins.
   • Give the weekly winner control over something small but important.
3. Lower Your Voice for Authority
   • Stop shouting or pleading. Be calm, be firm.
4. Ensure Only One Parent Controls Rewards
   • No negotiating. No sticker loopholes.
5. Agree on Boundaries as a Team
   • Present a united front. No “good cop, bad cop.”
6. Celebrate Wins
   • Acknowledge progress.
   • Help kids see that structure = more fun, not less.
7. Expect Resistance, Then Stay Consistent
   • Kids will test the system. Stay firm.

Final Thoughts: Will This Fix Everything?

Let’s be honest, no parenting system is a miracle cure.

This isn’t a guarantee to change your life overnight, but it might just make mornings a little less like a battlefield, and that’s a start.

If you or your partner have ADHD, or if your kids do, structure isn’t about taking the fun away, it’s about making things easier for everyone.

Need help creating systems that actually work for ADHD families? Let’s chat.

If mornings are a struggle in your house, I can help. Book a coaching session today, because sanity at 7 AM is priceless.

Try these strategies for a week and see how you feel. You might just surprise yourself. See here for more Techniques for ADHD Professionals to Handle Overcommitment 

📅 Book a free ADHD Coaching Discovery Session today because learning ADHD Strategies to Plan Your Work is how you start winning.