Morning Responsibilities

[Anonymous]

Joining = joking typo sorry

[Anonymous]

Wow my 4th grader does none of this. I have to nag her every few minutes or else she’d still be in her bed asleep or on her iPad when it’s time to leave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Omg. My rising 1st grader (with adhd) is a mess compared to this. I wake her after she’s turned her alarm off. Then she says she’s too tired to get up for 15 minutes. She’s perfectly capable of dressing herself, but wants company and often I end up holding out her pants and putting her shirt over her head. Then I supervise bathroom and tooth brushing, rushing her because inevitably she’s running late. I brush her hair (again, she’s capable, but we are always running out of time). She neatens her bed while I make breakfast and lunch.

I try to get her up earlier but it’s really hard. The adhd meds make her fall asleep late so we are in an endless cycle of her sleeping in, rushing, and staying up too late (even when the lights are out by 8, she’s often awake in her room until 10/11).

On the bright side, she’s very sweet and flexible. She doesn’t care about being late, but she also rarely gets super upset about anything. She’s just east going and un-rushed.

Another rising 1st grader here, and this is a lot more like our mornings than the other posts here. Mine is borderline-- no ADHD diagnosis but we are monitoring it.

But the main issue is she struggles to fall asleep at night so we often let her sleep as long as possible in the morning, and that means we need to be efficient in the morning. So I generally pack her lunch and backpack myself, and accompany her to brush teeth and get dressed so that it happens more quickly. About 50% of the time she'll say she can get dressed on her own and she does it no problem. The other days she asks me to stay and help, usually complaining she feels tired.

I also get her breakfast ready for her. She eats at the counter so no real reason to clear dishes-- they go straight in the dishwasher when she finishes.

I would like to cultivate more independence in the morning but we have to solve the bedtime issue first and it's been a struggle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Omg. My rising 1st grader (with adhd) is a mess compared to this. I wake her after she’s turned her alarm off. Then she says she’s too tired to get up for 15 minutes. She’s perfectly capable of dressing herself, but wants company and often I end up holding out her pants and putting her shirt over her head. Then I supervise bathroom and tooth brushing, rushing her because inevitably she’s running late. I brush her hair (again, she’s capable, but we are always running out of time). She neatens her bed while I make breakfast and lunch.

I try to get her up earlier but it’s really hard. The adhd meds make her fall asleep late so we are in an endless cycle of her sleeping in, rushing, and staying up too late (even when the lights are out by 8, she’s often awake in her room until 10/11).

On the bright side, she’s very sweet and flexible. She doesn’t care about being late, but she also rarely gets super upset about anything. She’s just east going and un-rushed.

My oldest child was like this. He’s in 9th grade now and perfectly capable of getting himself up and dressed and getting his stuff packed for school. Not every kid needs to be doing this at 6years old. She will get there.

[Anonymous]

My first and third graders dress themselves and brush their own teeth. I pack their backpacks and feed them breakfast. Works fine for us!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:K:
Puts duvet on bed, tucks in stuffed animals, picks out PJs and story for evening
Brushes teeth and wipes down sink
Gets dressed/PJs to hamper
Sets placemat and cloth napkin
Dishes in sink, wipes down table and chair
Assists in filling food/water bowls for dogs
Straightens playroom after use
Organizes living room before leaving house
Picks out clothes for next day
Brushes teeth and wipes down sink

Is her cleaning up very good? Not really, but she tries hard.

Wait, why would she organize the living room? And why would she pick out clothes for next day in the morning? OP is just asking about the morning.

[Anonymous]

My second-grader just has to get dressed, brush teeth, use bathroom by certain time. I get his breakfast/pack his lunch.

It’s a long school day - I am want him relaxed at home.

[Anonymous]

People’s kids really do all of this in the morning before they go to school? How early are they waking up in the morning?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People’s kids really do all of this in the morning before they go to school? How early are they waking up in the morning?

FCPS doesn't start until 9:20. My early elementary kids are awake before 7:00. They literally have 2 hours of time. More time than they have in the evening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People’s kids really do all of this in the morning before they go to school? How early are they waking up in the morning?

My kids are up by 6:30-7:00 am no matter what I do. School bus doesn’t pick up until 8:40 so we have a loooot of time to fill.

My 1st and 3rd graders will:

-make beds (they have Beddys)
-get dressed/brush teeth
-throw dirty pjs in hamper
-pack backpack and refill water bottles
-clean sink after brushing
-clear the table after breakfast

My oldest is also responsible for unloading the dishwasher first thing in the morning (at least the things he can reach to put away) and sometimes he helps feed the cat. One of our goals this year is also to get him making breakfast for himself and his sister.