Picture this. Your child is 9 years old. He walks in the door after school, and you say, “Don’t just drop your backpack on the floor. Empty your lunchbox and put it on the counter. Take out what you need to do your homework. Then put your backpack where it goes.”
Now think, how many times have you said something like this to your child over the years?
If your child is in the 4th grade, from kindergarten until now, you have said it about 700 times. And if you continue until graduation, you’ll be saying it another 1500 times.
Shouldn’t they just do it themselves by now?
Why do you always have to be the reminder?
What would it mean to you if you could eliminate this frustrating task?
What would it mean if your kids just did the whole transition home from school independently?
You can eliminate it by creating a routine that becomes a habit.
and here is how.
Let’s say your situation is similar to the scene above.
After school, walk in from the car together or meet your kids at the door
Make it a little silly. Funny sticks better than lectures.
Escort your children, with backpacks still in your kids’ hands, not yours. (This is key.)
Walk to the kitchen with them. Stand there and give a cue to deal with the lunchbox. Then cue the next step (taking out homework tools), and lastly, walk together to where the backpacks are supposed to land.
Do this every day for 2-3 weeks or until they can do it themselves. Here is a parenting secret: After a while, kids get annoyed by being escorted and will do whatever it takes to stop you - they will do it themselves. No more reminding. Abracadabra!l
Whenever they fall back, you escort them again. This time, it only takes one escort.
Do I hear you saying, “2-3 weeks?! But Sari, I don’t have time for this.”
To that I respond, “But do you have time to remind them 1500 more times?”
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