Lately as a parent, I constantly feel like banging my head against the wall. We signed up for the Love and Logic parenting class for the third time, but the ideas don't seem to apply to our irrational children. There has to be some element of reason on their side for it to work, and they don't have any. They keep blaming us for the consequences instead of realizing they had something to do with it.
When school started, I figured I had to get McKenzie and Thomas up at 6:30am so they could both practice piano before school. Thomas didn't handle that schedule very well and was super cranky all the time. Now I wake up McKenzie at 7am and let Thomas sleep until he wakes on his own (which isn't too much later). McKenzie is supposed to practice in the morning for 30 min and Thomas chose to practice in the afternoon for 30 min. The problem is that in the afternoon, I'm busy, the kids are running around, and friends keep coming by to see if my kids can play. It's chaos. So, I have a new plan. And it incorporates something I learned from Love and Logic. :-)
This morning, I told the kids that I'm leaving at a certain time. If they weren't ready I'd leave without them and give their friend (who we carpool with) a ride to school. When I return, I'll give them a ride to school for $1 each. I've never seen them move so fast. Both of them hustled to get ready and get to the car before I left. McKenzie did her hair on the way, and Thomas put on his socks and shoes, but they made it. Our new schedule starts with McKenzie getting up at 7am. She can practice the piano for 30 minutes, then eat breakfast and get ready for school. Thomas will have time to practice as well, and be able to sleep a little later. I hope this works, and that they soon learn to move it in the morning. My head is sore.
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