Sound the Alarm
Sometimes parenting seems so complicated and hard. Choosing things on behalf of a developing human is a huge responsibility. We knew what we were getting into when we signed up and I think we are doing a decent job so far. Everyday seems to be a new challenge which I've learned to enjoy and also despise depending on the day. Yet I'm always shocked at how some of the things I struggle with in parenting (wake ups, shuttling everyone to their locations, nightwaking, food choices and on and on...) can be solved in one simple step. The most recent revelation was so easy and obvious I can't believe it took so long to figure out:
Quinn is generally uninterested in getting out of bed in the morning. She's tired, she's cold, she's whatever excuse seems to suit at the time. I hate pulling them out of their warm beds to get them out the door and for several years I grappled with deep guilt and anxiety that being a working mom was a horrible choice for our family. Since I now know, after a lot of soul searching (and also seeing the kids turn out alright), that I need to be a working mum. I need to work at something and set goals and have achievements outside of the home. It makes me feel good and it gives our family financial stability. I digress, on Sunday night we set Quinn's alarm on her bedside radio clock and explained that when it went off she needed to get out of bed and start getting ready for school. Her response was "Ya, I have to get up, get in the tub, get dressed, eat breakfast, put my shoes on and wait at the door" in a very matter of fact way. I said "whoa whoa whoa, I'm still going to help you and I'll be getting ready with you, so you don't have to do it all yourself!". She said that sounded fine and off we went. Monday morning wasn't the best example as she ended up in our bed and the alarm wasn't as loud as I'd hoped but she got up and did her thing. Tuesday and Wednesday were textbook wake up perfection. Both morning while I was in the shower I heard her pad into the bathroom and use the toilet and say "morning mumma, can I use the tub after you?" and just like that - morning wake up resolved. SO EASY. It made my heart hurt a bit that she is getting more and more independent but also it made me feel like we are setting our kids on a good track and teaching them basic life skills and coping mechanisms they will need to grow up alright. It's possible that the alarm working had to do with Quinn being ready, I accept that sometimes you can't force things with kids and sometimes you think you are a super parent when really you just needed to wait longer (in our life this has applied to bike riding without training wheels and also shoe tying, hopefully it will next apply to reading). Just. Wait. Longer. I'm pretty sure this is my next skill to master but for now I'm grateful it applied to wake ups!
Quinn is generally uninterested in getting out of bed in the morning. She's tired, she's cold, she's whatever excuse seems to suit at the time. I hate pulling them out of their warm beds to get them out the door and for several years I grappled with deep guilt and anxiety that being a working mom was a horrible choice for our family. Since I now know, after a lot of soul searching (and also seeing the kids turn out alright), that I need to be a working mum. I need to work at something and set goals and have achievements outside of the home. It makes me feel good and it gives our family financial stability. I digress, on Sunday night we set Quinn's alarm on her bedside radio clock and explained that when it went off she needed to get out of bed and start getting ready for school. Her response was "Ya, I have to get up, get in the tub, get dressed, eat breakfast, put my shoes on and wait at the door" in a very matter of fact way. I said "whoa whoa whoa, I'm still going to help you and I'll be getting ready with you, so you don't have to do it all yourself!". She said that sounded fine and off we went. Monday morning wasn't the best example as she ended up in our bed and the alarm wasn't as loud as I'd hoped but she got up and did her thing. Tuesday and Wednesday were textbook wake up perfection. Both morning while I was in the shower I heard her pad into the bathroom and use the toilet and say "morning mumma, can I use the tub after you?" and just like that - morning wake up resolved. SO EASY. It made my heart hurt a bit that she is getting more and more independent but also it made me feel like we are setting our kids on a good track and teaching them basic life skills and coping mechanisms they will need to grow up alright. It's possible that the alarm working had to do with Quinn being ready, I accept that sometimes you can't force things with kids and sometimes you think you are a super parent when really you just needed to wait longer (in our life this has applied to bike riding without training wheels and also shoe tying, hopefully it will next apply to reading). Just. Wait. Longer. I'm pretty sure this is my next skill to master but for now I'm grateful it applied to wake ups!
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