Every morning I wake up to the chaos of two girls. They are unmotivated, sassy and have no fear. As a close friend playfully teased me “they know you’re weak!”. My girls are in senior Kindergarten and Grade one. My oldest has been doing this routine for four years. Still, I have to chase her and remind her of every single step. My youngest is just in her second year but has mastered breakfast and getting dressed, minus her socks. For some reason she does not enjoy wearing socks. So to give you a clear picture here, I wake up to one partially dressed child with a bowl of kid kibbles (cereal) and one older child day dreaming and dancing to non-existent music. I have tried stern talks, taking away enjoyable toys and even making them do chores when they come home from school (the horror!). None of these tactics has improved the morning routine. Folks, I am just asking for the basics here! Get dressed, have breakfast, brush your teeth and put on your outdoor gear. I do their hair as they have yet to master their manes. I was honestly starting to feel like all hope was lost. That this would be just another year of having to be a drill sergeant. And then a wonderful thing happened. Last night I allowed the children to watch a movie on Netflix that they really enjoyed. My youngest looked up at me with her big blue eyes and asked me if they could watch TV in the morning. I looked at my oldest that was listening intently. I said yes, if you get your morning routine done fast enough for free time, you can absolutely watch a movie before it is time to go to the bus stop. The next morning I was rudely awakened ten minutes before my alarm. I recieved a full report from my oldest child while my eyes were still adjusting to the day. “Mom, just so you know, I am wearing shorts with a sweater because they match well. I had my oatmeal and my teeth are brushed. I just need to put my shoes on and you do my hair!” She announced proudly. “Okay good, do the shoes” I mumbled still only half conscious. Next in strolled my vertically challenged Kindergartener. “I ate breakfast and brushed my teeth! And I’m dressed” she said almost in-your-face-like. I rolled out of bed and assessed the situation. Somehow they had done it! A full 37 minutes before the bus. So I put on a movie as promised and got to enjoy my coffee and making their lunches in beautiful peace. This was definitely a win win! It is interesting to me that no amount of negative reinforcement would have ever worked. My girls are reward oriented. And now that I know that, I can fully use it to my advantage. So take a moment to think of an area where you are experiencing challenge in your life. Could changing up the motivational style improve your chances of better results ? It is certainly worth a try!
No goal left behind 