Leaving home in five minutes: the parenting clock runs differently

“We’re leaving in five minutes” sounds like a simple plan. In a home with a child, it is more like the beginning of a small expedition. One person already has their shoes on, another is looking for a teddy bear, and the keys have decided to hide under a pile of hats.

Five minutes, scene one

A parent stands by the door and says, “Right, let’s put on your coat.” The child nods. A moment later, it turns out that three soft toys must be said goodbye to first. One by one. And someone needs to check whether one of them might be hungry.

The coat finally reaches the right shoulders. Then someone asks where the favourite hat is. The new one prepared in the morning is “not that one”. The favourite is where nobody looked: in the toy basket, next to a little car.

The parent checks the clock. Eight minutes have passed. We are still at home, but at least everyone is in a good mood. For the next thirty seconds.

Scene two: the bag that remembers everything

A bag waits by the door. Inside are wipes, a spare item of clothing and a cup. The only thing missing is the one thing that will actually be useful today. The parent returns to the kitchen. At that exact moment, the child takes off one shoe because there is a “strange sock” underneath.

The other adult—if they happen to be nearby—finds the missing item and puts it on a shelf so it will not get lost. A very sensible place. Nobody knows which shelf, though.

Finally, someone asks, “Is everyone ready?” The answer is, “Yes!” Then there is one more trip to the bathroom. Nothing has gone wrong. Leaving the house simply has its own ritual and clearly does not read our calendar.

A small trick without a big system

You cannot plan every “just one more thing”. But you can keep a small set of the items you repeatedly take on walks by the door: keys, wipes and whatever usually comes with you. In the evening, simply check whether the cup is back in the bag and the hat has returned to its place.

This is not a recipe for magically leaving in five minutes. It is a way to avoid another morning treasure hunt. If you are planning a longer autumn walk, our short packing list may also help. You can look through it calmly beforehand, without assuming you need to pack everything.

The finale at the door

Everyone is ready. The bag is closed, the shoes are a pair and the soft toys have received goodbye kisses. The parent opens the door, takes a deep breath and hears:

— Can we take this one stone?

Of course we can. After five minutes that lasted twenty-seven, one stone no longer makes any difference. And sometimes it becomes the most important keepsake from the whole walk.

Meme text: “We’re leaving in five minutes” / “Five minutes later: bears hugged goodbye, hat found, shoes still negotiating.”