Solution to Screaming

Big Bro has never been that excited about preschool. He has fun when he's there and gets glowing reports, but at home he pitches a fit each school morning.

I was getting really tired of his tantrums every time I would have to tell him, "it's a school day, please go get dressed."

Nooooooo! It isn't! I'm not going!!!! Cry. Scream. Whine. Pout. Stomp. Repeat.

Over the Christmas break I read Vicki Hoefle's book "Duct Tape Parenting." In it she talks about making kids take on responsibilities for themselves in age appropriate ways to make mornings run more smoothly. She talks specifically about kids having an alarm clock to get up for school so that it's not mom doing the all the wake up calls and insisting, "no really, it's time, I mean it, you have to get up and dressed for school."

I had an alarm clock for school days when I was little (my mom laughed when I explained Vicki Hoefle's methods because they are so similar to what she did when I was growing up), so this wasn't a parenting leap...merely a recognition that it's time. 

I asked if Big Bro would like to have an alarm clock to get him up on school days. He was very excited by this, so we went to the store and he picked out his own clock. It barks when it rings.

I told him that on school days his alarm will bark and that's his cue to get dressed, brush teeth, and eat breakfast. If he does all those things with time leftover, then he can watch a short show before school.

So far the system is working wonderfully and we have had much happier, smoother, and timely mornings. Let's hope it continues even after the novelty has worn off.