in a tone youknowsounds more agitated than you want it to.
But you cant help it.
Rushing them will only cause more stress, anxiety, power struggles, and angerfor everyone involved.
(Especially when they are physically resisting your best efforts.)
Keep in mind that children have very little decision-making power and crave a sense of autonomy over their lives.
Start earlier and prepare the environment
Start earlier, you say?
Well, sometimes that is just not possible!
I know; I really do.
BecauseIand by extension, my kidsaremore relaxed.
check that everything your kids need is easily accessible.
If you could, create one area where everything they need is aggregated.
Socks, shoes, coats, hats, glovesall in containers and on shelves they can reach themselves.
Once they were ranked first to last, I assigned each of them five-minute increments.
Which makes me kind of…barky.Got your water bottle?
Come on, time to brush teeth.
You dont have your shoes on yet?
You need your shoes.
Phrases like, OK, whats next?
What still needs to be done?
can help them feel less bossed around.
(If they answer neither, my trusty reply is, Well, we need to do both.
So either you could choose, or Ill choose.)
And it doesnt have to be anything big.
Tuck away as many distractions as you’ve got the option to.
(Sometimes, an outward verbal apology is necessary.
It also helps to say, Im on your team.
Do you need any help or can you do the next step on your own?)
Remember what happened last time you went out without gloves?try using one-word instructions.
It gives them less to process (and potentially argue with).
Whispering is another surprisingly effective way to get a childs attention.
It requires physical proximity and eye contact, two things that motivate children to cooperate.
Things like, Wow, you did that all by yourself, an impressed, You did thatalready?
That was fast, or Oh my goodness, I didnt even have to tell you!
helps little ones feel a sense of pridewhich propels them to do it again.
