Your kid might like to move slowly in the morning, and you jump right in. This causes conflict. You might think you are teaching them how to follow a schedule and force them to do it your way. On the surface that makes sense, you are the mom, you are older, you are wiser, you just know this method works. But what if their method also works?
My Story: Getting my oldest daughter, Danielle out the door in time to catch the bus was a struggle. I often found myself yelling at her and rushing out the door to the bus stop. Finally, after one ugly morning I decided things had to change. The next day I tried to observe more than react. I realized she was moving along perfectly with the time schedule. Finishing her breakfast right on time. All she had left to do was brush her teeth and we would be ready to leave on time. I was thrilled it was a pleasant morning as I took a quiet moment to enjoy my coffee. That’s when I heard her in the bathroom, singing to herself as she got ready to brush her teeth. She didn’t want to quickly brush her teeth and rush out the door. She wanted to take a moment to enjoy her reflection in the mirror and start her day with a smile. I had been taking all of that away from her with my rushing.
The next day, I moved her time schedule up 5 minutes, sending her upstairs to brush her teeth with time to sing to herself. She came downstairs right on time with no reminding or yelling. We walked to the bus holding hands and smiling, a much better way to start our day. All this happened because I took the time to observe HER SCHEDULE as she got ready for her day. She already had her method at age 6!
Comments