I have been really trying to teach Kendall and Berkeley a little more independence and responsibility this school year. I decided that they needed to learn how to get ready on their own without me pushing them and nagging them each step of the way. Lucky for us, their school doesn’t start until 9:06 am, which means the bus doesn’t come until 8:45 am. Since they usually wake up between 7:00 and 7:30, that is plenty of time for them to get ready for school and be out at the bus stop. They both know all the things that have to happen before they leave for school:
- make their beds
- get dressed
- do their hair
- eat breakfast
- brush teeth
- get backpacks packed
- socks/shoes on
They also know that if they get everything done with enough time that they aren’t running out to the bus at the last second, they will get 30 minutes of TV time after school. If they completely miss the bus and I have to drive them to school, there would be NO TV for the entire week. I knew they would have a hard time getting their act together at first, but I also believed that it was POSSIBLE. However, after talking to four other moms at the bus stop about what we were trying to do (in order to explain why the girls almost missed the bus a few days in a row), they all said that they dragged their kids out of bed every morning and pretty much held their hands through the entire morning routine. They all agreed that at these ages, kids are too young to be responsible enough to get ready on their own. Really? Well, I’m not buying it. I told them all that it might take a little while, but that eventually, my girls would figure it out.
Their alarm goes off at 7:30 am, so on the off chance that they aren’t already awake, this is their final warning that it’s time to get up. The rule is that they make their beds, get dressed, and do their hair before they come down for breakfast. If they can do that quickly, they have time to play a little before school. The reason that they make themselves late is that they forget the rule and decide to play around BEFORE they get ready and then they run out of time. We’ve had some rough mornings, but I think we might be finally turning a corner. I came downstairs to make breakfast this morning to find K & B both dressed and playing a game together. . . for the third time this week.
Who’s winning?
We all are.
3 comments:
Good for them! That is a hard one...stepping back to let them learn to do for themselves. They are learning great life skills. Nice work, mom.
we have to leave the house at 7:20 to get ty to school so I'm jealous of your 9:00 start time!!
That's awesome! And I'm totally with you, Leah (age four) knows that if it's a preschool/dance day she has to have her bed made and be dressed (outfit chosen the night before and laying on her floor) before she comes out of her room in the morning.
Smooth mornings are the first and biggest key to a smooth day for me.
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