You all know what Morning Madness is. It’s that time in the morning when you try to convince your kids that getting dressed is a good thing, making lunches, and getting dressed when you haven’t had time to do laundry all at the same time.
Most of the time, what to wear or what to eat, or when to get up, is not the main problem. Just as you have the things you need to be efficient yourself, so do your children. Some children need to know that they can choose. Some children take a long time. Some children do better when they are in a hurry.
My daughter is an excellent example of that. I went through this period where I was getting everyone up early so we would have plenty of time to get ready. While this worked really well for my son, my daughter would be disoriented until about 15 minutes before she had to leave and then she would dance and walk out the door. If he forced her out of her disorientation, she would brace herself and then fall asleep on the couch. Now, I pick up my son first and give him time to wake up and be ready long before he has to leave. I leave my daughter exactly as long as she needs, 20-25 minutes, and let her rush. It works for her. It still makes me a little anxious, but … that’s for me to deal with.
Clothing choice problems are often observed at the time when asserting independence is essential, usually at the beginning of school, ironically. When my children were young, we chose socks, underwear, pants, and tops for a week. Each had one of those things to hang in the closet with little partitions and an outfit, not a separate one, would go on each one. Each day of the week they could choose the outfit they wanted, but they had to stick to the first option they wore. Because it was something they had already chosen, they had already asserted their independence and were very happy about it.
The last thing I have to say is this: teach your kids to help themselves eat breakfast from a young age. I never taught my kids that and now I have to deal with it! But live and learn right?