Despite my children reaching an age that they are somewhat independent, they are still mostly dependent. And this is best exemplified by the weekday morning routine.

Despite the fact that I wake up at 6:30am every Monday to Friday, I don’t get to think about anything other than The Routine until almost 9am.

Two and a half hours spent working to make sure my children are fed, watered and ready to be educated.

Firstly, I need to ensure my son has his lunch ready for school. This needs to happen by 7:10am lest he run late and miss his bus to school. Wash fruit, pack snacks, make a sandwich, heat up some pizza-ish bread… It doesn’t sound like much, but it feels like it.

Once he is out the door, I move on to my daughter. She still attends the local primary school, so doesn’t need to leave as early. But she also likes to have a leisurely life, so it’s a constant push for her to do all the things she needs to get done.

Eat breakfast, brush your hair, brush your teeth, make your bed, pack your bag. All this while I make her lunch, wash and pack fruit, ensure she has her hat and other school necessities in her bag. Then it’s getting her into the car and taking her to school before heading home and getting ready to start work.

Admittedly, I do spend some of that time showering, making a coffee and having my own breakfast. But it always feels rushed. There’s no time to enjoy any of it on a weekday.

I should also recognise that my wife is around helping with this stuff (although I have taken on doing most of it since she returned to work). But the fact that she helps seems to make the fact that I’m pushing to look after them for almost two and a half hours even worse.

So what can I do about it? Do any parents have any suggestions to ease the pain? Or do I just have to wait until the kids are adults and let them take responsibility for themselves?