Reply to More time or less time in the morning?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP here. The screens in the morning started as a way to keep my 4 year old contained. He’s a swirly madman. He wakes up going 1,000,000 miles an hour and he always needs a ton of things. It was a way to contain his tornado while the rest of us got ready.

But now the older boys sit down and watch TV with him without getting ready so it’s just become a bit of a mess.[/quote]

We get it. Many of us have been there. I'm saying, as a parent to older kids who has been through this: you think the screens are helping but in the long run they are hurting. They are solving one short-term problem (4 year old who is hard to contain) with a long-term problem that is really hard to fix once habits set in (three kids who get sucked into TV, beg for TV whenever they get a chance, fight over turning off the TV, plus continued issues getting out the door every time, for years).

Does 4 year old wake up on his own or do you wake him up? If you wake him up, use that control! Only wake him up when it's the exact amount of time you need to get him out the door, and just plan on spending that 20-30 minutes being super hands on with him (which means you are ready to go before you get him up).

If he wakes up on his own, you either get up earlier so you can be on top of him when he wakes, or you have to conscript the older kids into helping with him. Big preference for just getting myself ready earlier -- there are so many ways to streamline my own morning routine that this is almost always the answer for me. When I still had preschoolers/toddlers, I was used to taking like a 4 minute shower (I'd wash my hair at night and put it in a shower cap in the morning, and use a styler to refresh), wear a uniform so getting dressed takes 90 seconds, simple make up in hair.

When you do have older kids help with him, accept they are going to fight and argue sometimes. Let it happen. It's okay for people to be annoyed sometimes. Use drive to school to debrief any major issues and make sure your older kids are getting what they need so it's easier for them to help with him (don't expect a 10 year old to be able to get ready totally on his own, babysit his brother, and not need guidance, reassurance, etc., from parents -- you still have to help but it can happen at other times to prep him to be able to spend 15 minutes watching his younger brother while you finish breakfast or help his sister with her hair or whatever).[/quote]

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