Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/from-a-parents-perspective-routines/5011230/
- Situation -"I can't take many more mornings like this!" Four year old Mary's mother continues, "All we've done is fight. Today she wouldn't get up, then she wouldn't come to the table to eat, and finally I had to wrestle with her to get her dressed. I know it is too hot for boots, but they're all she'd put on and I am too worn out to care." With these parting words to her daughter's child care teacher, a very discouraged mom turns to leave for her day at work.
- Solutions -
It is possible to change a morning battleground into a congenial team effort. Not all mornings will look like a happy TV sitcom but at least they can become much more stress-free. The magic ingredient is routines.
Routines are magic because they clearly define expectations. Routines have a sort of extraterrestrial existence of their own. Parents can step back and allow the agreed upon routine to be the boss.
The process of developing a routine is part of the solution. Do not just announce the new routine to a child who is over the age of three. Instead, set up the routine together. (For younger children, talking through a plan ...