One of the most important traits I had to instil in my kids to save my own sanity was to make them independent.
As I do not have octopus arms, I needed to figure out a way to stop the constant cries of “Mameeeee!” coming from all corners of the house.
With Kate, I was surprised that she is even more independent than the older kids.
One day, it dawned on me that she had been doing the same thing morning after morning while I was still lazing in bed and had formed her own routine before she was even 3!
She wakes up by herself at 7am, give or take 10 minutes.
She comes over and gives me a peck on the cheek.
That’s my cue to wake up and make her milk.
I promptly return to bed for more shut eye while she gets herself ready for school.
She goes into the bathroom, takes off her pyjamas and diaper and has a quick shower.
She is able to reach for the towel which is hung on a low hook.
She does a pretty decent job of drying herself and hangs the towel back.
She goes over to the sink, fills up her cup, rinses her toothbrush, squeezes some toothpaste on and brushes her teeth.
I know at this age, we should still be supervising her brushing, but I only do that with her at night! She just visited the dentist and her teeth are looking good.
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| Kate’s closet drawer |
Ever since I noticed her picking her own clothes at about 2 years of age I have moved her clothes to the lower drawer to facilitate her independence and free myself of 1 more task.
She chooses her outfit for school and even matches them in her own style, so much so that #3 asked me, “Who has been dressing Kate?”
After she’s done, she will close the door softly and make her way downstairs and look for our helper.
She has a light bite of breakfast and plays with the puppy for a few minutes before putting on her socks and shoes and heading to the door to wait for her ride to school.
After she’s done, she will close the door softly and make her way downstairs and look for our helper.
She has a light bite of breakfast and plays with the puppy for a few minutes before putting on her socks and shoes and heading to the door to wait for her ride to school.
The effort I have invested in constantly talking through the steps when she was 1 and 2 years old have paid off and she’s by far the easiest to manage.
No need for nagging, scolding, reward stars. Nothing! Just plain and simple routine.
I wish I had known then what I know now and the daily grind of getting the 5 of them to school would have been way easier!
~ www.mummyweeblog.com – a blog on parenting 6 kids in Singapore ~