You all know what Morning Madness is. It’s that time in the morning when you try to convince your kids that getting dressed is a good thing, making lunches and getting dressed when you haven’t had time to do the laundry all at the same time.

Most of the time, what to wear or what to eat, or when to get up, is not the main issue. Just as you yourself have the things you need to be efficient, so do your children. Some children need to know that they have options. Some children need a lot of time. Some children do better when they are running.

My daughter is a good example of that. I went through this period where she was waking everyone up early so we would have plenty of time to get ready. While this worked great for my son, my daughter would be completely disoriented until about 15 minutes before she had to leave and then she would dance and walk out the door. If she forced her out of her disorientation, she would fix herself and then she would fall asleep on the couch. Now, I pick my son up first and give him time to wake up and be ready long before he has to leave. I leave my daughter with exactly as much time as she needs, about 20-25 minutes, and I let her hurry up. It works for her. She still makes me a little anxious but… that’s something I have to deal with.

Clothing choice issues are often seen at a time when asserting independence is essential, usually at the start of school, ironically. When my kids were little, we would pick out socks, underwear, pants, and tops for a week. They each had one of those things hanging in the closet with little dividers and one outfit, not a separate one, would go in each one. Every day of the week they could choose the outfit they wanted, but they had to keep the first option they put on. Because it was something they had already chosen, they had already asserted their independence and were very happy about it.

The last thing I have to say is this: Teach your kids to help themselves eat breakfast from a young age. I never taught that to my kids and now I have to deal with it! But live and learn right?