If you are like many parents, just getting through daily routines with your children can be a real hassle.
For example, take getting out of the house in the morning. Every day you wake up, thinking of how kind and loving you’ll be. Then within one quick hour, you find your voice and your blood pressure rising.
If this sounds familiar, then consider the following tips which involve planning for success.
- Rearrange your schedule. Are your children little sleepyheads in the morning, but have free time in the evening? If so, move some of the morning steps to the nighttime, such as picking out clothes or packing up their bags.
- Create a list of tasks that are repeated on a regular basis and post it in a prominent place. Put on it all of the steps, such as brushing teeth, getting dressed, and making the bed. For younger children, you can include pictures. And yes, many children really do need to be reminded to brush their teeth every single day.
- Limit choices. Children can get so caught up in all of the options that they become immobilized.
- Rather than asking an open-ended question such as: “What would you like for breakfast?”
- You can direct your child with: “Would you like cereal or a bagel?”
To simplify things, you can specify the type of cereal or topping for the bagel. Another approach is to ask: “Do you want to eat something hot or something cold?”
With a little planning, your routines in the morning or any time of day can go a lot more smoothly.
