Mornings in our house are rapidly deteriorating into anarchy.
Every morning there’s a getting up/wardrobe/breakfast/teeth/hair crisis. Sometimes some of the above, some mornings all of the above. In varying degrees and sometimes multiplied by 3.
What infuriates me the most is the immobile stubborn silent treatment when you try and hurry them along without screaming.
What porridge would you like. Silence.
Please get your bowl and spoon. Silence.
You have to wear stockings if you are wearing a dress, it’s cold outside. Silence.
If you wear the shorts you still have to wear stockings, your legs will get cold. Silence.
You can wear the sleeveless top but only if you put on a sweater over it. Silence.
Please wear shoes. Silence.
Please come and brush your teeth. Silence.
Please stand still so I can brush your hair. Silence and turning of head.
Please take your bag to the car. Followed by complaints about who is taking them to school.
Instead of pulling out my hair I pretty much let Etienne deal with it. Bad Mother. I know. Go ahead, judge me, I also judge me. But then come over and feed, dress and brush teeth/hair for a single morning and we can talk again. Capice?
Now before you start dispensing the advice I’m about to ask you for, yes, we have tried the “pick your outfit for tomorrow” routine which worked really well until the girls changed their minds about their outfits in the mornings. I mean, they are girls after all. It’s their prerogative. So now I have made it Megan’s problem. Mean, I know.
What else can we do to make it easier in the mornings?
Ps: Isabel now has a hole in her tooth and so we will embark on our first trip to the dentist on Monday. This is virgin territory for me, so ANY advice is welcome. And no, I can’t take vodka with me as the appointment is at 07h45 in the morning. On a Monday. Shoot me. Now.
Pps: Etienne is SO going to read this blog post and tell me it’s not so bad, I shouldn’t say things like this about our lovely children. Let’s consider it payback for suggesting that the inability to choose an outfit could possibly lie with me. I mean, sometimes clothes just don’t look right and you have to change a couple of times. RIGHT?
Ok I was about to suggest the choose your clothes the evening approach, but alas.
Wish I had an answer, or a wand, or a form of vodka socially acceptable at that time in the morning. All I can assure you of IS it does get easier as they get older. Or perhaps I’m just better at bribery now?
All I can say is good luck with the Dentist visit. Regardless of a rigorous dental routine, Lucas (almost 5) has had twó visits to the hospital within 8 months to have cavities fixed under general anaesthetics. (Thank you Medical Aid!!!) I refuse to let them have mercury amalgam fillings, and the normal white fillings need more time and optimal conditions (dry mouth etc.) which is generally difficult to obtain with a squirming 4 year old. We’ve had second opinions on this, and they all have the same story.
Now Sebastian (3) has to go the same route, but I have my money on a Dentist that apparently is prepared to do ‘temporary’ white fillings with a more accommodating (white) material that is supposed to last just long enough until the milk teeth fall out. I hope we haven’t waited too long, as she obviously doesn’t want to do too much drilling.
It might mean more regular dentist visits to catch the cavities while they are still small, but at R15000 a hospital visit, I surely won’t mind.
We have an appointment for him on 22 May, I will keep you posted.