I confess: I get tired of fighting with the kiddo. My back spasms are under control, but today, I still didn't feel like arguing. (Sometimes I do feel like arguing. I get a kick out of playing devil's advocate.)
Today, the kiddo was goofing around instead of eating breakfast. After three attempts to get her to move things along, I suggested that she come with me and we would try something different with her hair. We did her hair (which ended up being the same-old, same-old), applied her sunscreen, and then we got her some socks and I told her to pack up her book bag, put on her boots and coat, and head to the door.
Wait! What about breakfast? Well... she ate part of it before doing her hair. The rest went into the fridge, where it was waiting for her when she got home from school and wanted a snack (I was happy to warm it up for her). They eat lunch quite early at her school, so I wasn't worried about the kiddo starving to death, or even suffering from hunger pangs. And my day went so much more smoothly.
What about you? Is your routine getting old? Shake things up a bit, and see if that makes a difference. As long as you don't make it seem like a punishment or a huge upheaval, your kid should adapt*.
*If you think it might be difficult for your child, try giving him or her a head's up the night before: "I'm worried about you wasting so much time in the morning. If you're not super hungry for breakfast, we'll try doing your hair/packing your book bag first, then heading to the kitchen." Worst case scenario: your child doesn't get to eat a full breakfast and gets hungry before lunch. He or she will survive, and may even learn a valuable lesson**.
**Here, I am covering my butt***: this obviously does not apply to all children. You know your child and what he or she can handle.
***It's sad that I even have to make such a disclaimer. People need to take things with a grain of salt. Yes. I said it.
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