Helping Kids Get Ready For School
Sometimes I feel like I am the only one in the world with this problem. But I’m sure there are many others who experience the same thing as I do. Dynamics change between families and I guess having four kids makes it tough for me. But I would like to share some of my experiences with other parents in the hope that I might help a few.
There has been an ongoing issue with my daughter regarding getting out the door to school on time each morning. Even when I wake her up very early she still seems to muck around every morning. she is regularly late for school by a few minutes and this is a source of frustration for me.
When dealing with a child who is reluctant to go to school, the first thing you must do is ask them if they are being bullied at school by another child. Often this will be the answer. But if not, at least you know that you will need to come up with a plan to deal with this problem.
Always try something positive to start off with. An example of this might be a sticker chart and at the end of the week a trip to buy ice cream if they have stickers for every day. Make the reward immediate and something that the child likes in order to motivate them. And as your child gets better you can then start to make the rewards a bit further apart.
Always exhaust all possibilties before turning to look at the negative. Positive reinforcement always works much better if you can manage it. Well it would be nice if I could practice what I preach but alas, this morning I had to go for a negative consequence. On account of Becky throwing a tantrum this morning I felt that I had to act to help her change her behavior.
Becky is finally gone to school now and it’s time to dream up her consequence. Because she chose to throw a tantrum like a little child I have decided to deprive her of some things that are reserved for older girls. I shall be taking away her favorite earrings and also a few random items of “grown up” clothing. They will go up into my top cupboard. Beck will be devastated but I will explain to her that those kinds of things are reserved for girls who act their age and don’t throw tantrums.
Always try to match the crime to the punishment. In my case I am letting Becky know that because she threw a tantrum she should not be wearing grown up clothes. Make sure that you talk through it with the child so they understand why you are doing what you do.
I shall have a chat to Beck after school today and explain my reasons behind my actions. The good thing is that I will give her a chance to earn her clothes and jewellery back very quickly. If she can show me three days getting off to school on time again I will quickly produce her favorite earrings again. I want to show her that the quality of her life is directly related to the decisions that she makes.
