By now we all should be back into full swing with the school year. In theory, we should have figured out the perfect time to get our kids up, going and happily out the door. For most of us, this isn’t our reality. Often we are fighting with our kids just to get them dressed and fed. Then, there’s the task of making sure they are successfully packed up with completed homework in hand.
With my boys being ages 7 and 9, I find it is helpful to have a balance of control. I give them leeway on certain things and then there are absolutes that happen without question. They know I am willing to hear feedback about the morning routine, but I also can tell that they feel secure in the aspects that are predictable and unchanging. For example, when it comes to the clothes they wear, I let them choose for the day. They feel glad to choose and I have to understand that color coordination isn’t essential. It really isn’t, shocking I know! They also like to negotiate their wake-up time which is fine with me but I set the limit of what the range is. So, 6:30-7 is fine, anything before or after that doesn’t work with our morning routine.
To help get the day started right, I require that my boys say ‘good morning!’ to me as they come down the stairs. Even though I am generally not a morning person, I make a huge effort to be positive and upbeat throughout breakfast. As the parent, I know I set the tone for the day for my boys. The happier I am, the happier they are.
These are only a couple ideas that may or may not work in your own household. You are the true expert when it comes to your kids and ultimately, you have to trust your own judgment. Over the years I have found that the more exposure I had to different ideas and strategies, led to more ways I could fine-tune my own parenting paradigm. Riverview Counseling offers exceptional and FREE monthly presentations which focus on common parenting obstacles. The groups are informal and small and each session runs about 45 minutes with a 15 minute question and answer session to follow. I encourage you to consider attending the next session “Get into the Groove: How to Successfully (and peacefully) Get Your Child Out the Door for School”. This group is scheduled for Thursday, September 25 @1:00pm. Click on the ‘Our Services’ tab and scroll to ‘Free Parenting Workshops’ to learn more.
