Dress Your Child for School After Breakfast
Children and parents know the daily routine. Heck, it even took root in Daniel Tiger ‘s Morning Song , a catchy melody that my husband and I sang to help my 5-year-old daughter get ready for her day: “ Get dressed. Have breakfast. Brush your teeth. Put on your shoes. And let’s go to school! “But if I take a close look at reality, these steps are purely desirable. A more accurate text would sound something like this: “In clothes. Have breakfast. Spray milk on clothes accidentally. It is whining that now you are all wet. Go change your clothes. Distracted. Hear your mom complain about being late again. Pick up some new clothes. Understand you hate this giraffe shirt. Choose something else. Brush your teeth. Put on your shoes. And let’s go to school! And the cycle repeats the next day.
Sorry Danny Tee, but it’s time to get in the way of mornings with young children. One thing you can do to get everyone out the door faster is to ask the children to get dressed after breakfast. You expect disaster (which is more the norm than the exception when dealing with tiny people who have not mastered fine motor skills). Pajamas can be thrown into the basket if jelly or syrup gets on them. It won’t ruin the process.
I have heard that some parents even force their children to bring school clothes with them to the breakfast table and dress in the kitchen after meals. This eliminates the need to go back to their bedrooms, where they are likely to be stuck for another 10 minutes. Hey, you have to do everything in your power to save precious time – even if it means changing your morning melody.