It's backwards day again at Rocks in my Dryer's Works for me Wednesday. That means instead of offering advice, I ask for advice. So here comes a desperate momma asking for help...
Emily is THE worst dawdler. It only takes her twenty minutes to get from the van, up the ten stairs, and in the door. She can put her shoes on in a record fifteen minutes, and watch out...pottying in ten minutes feels like lightening speed! It drives me CRAZY!
If I tell her to hurry up, she just goes slower. Every once in a while I can get her moving a little faster with "I'll race you." or "Here comes the tickle bug." But those things are working less and less.
Got any other ideas? Please help before this momma goes nuts!
7 comments:
Have you been praying for patience lately? Stop! Don't pray for patience anymore.
Hope this helps.
When my 4 year-old is moving too slowly, I tell her that if we're not out the door by XX time then we can't go. That works if we're going away or if we're getting ready to do something that she likes, like a bath.
Another thing that works for her is a Flylady concept... using a timer. If we're not done with XYZ by the time the timer goes off, then we don't get to do ABC. If the toys aren't picked up by the time the timer goes off, we don't get to paint, because we'll have to spend that time picking up toys instead.
Good luck!
When mine were little, I would give them one chance to do "it" (shoes, potty, whatever) on their own. If they were poky, then Mama would "help". I basically picked them up and carried them, set them on the potty, etc. All of mine craved independence (I think that's why they dawdled), so I took away the independence if they didn't act quickly. Several days of unwavering consistency did the trick. They preferred to put their own shoes on, so they did so before Mama came to help.
oH, I am so going to check back here later for advice. Isaac is a terrible dawdler and always has been.
Carrie, Lincoln and Emily sound so much alike, and they are both second borns. I wonder if that has anything to do with it???
Mullin is so much like me--task oriented and focused on getting things done in a very timely manner. Then there is Lincoln. God has definitely used him to teach me patience. But obviously there are times when you don't have time to wait and wait and wait.
Plus,these types of kids probably need extra help at learning to do things in a timely manner. I have used the timer method like Amy. I would set the timer for tasks like picking up toys or even for eating dinner. He was always so slow at eating. Momma's diner ain't open all night!!
As Lincoln got older and started having other responsibilities like making his bed, for example, I made the rule that he had to do it BEFORE breakfast. That one really worked!!! It became such a habit that now he has the freedom to do it after he eats. I could go on and on, but looks like I have rambled enough. Hope it helps!
My two year old loves to do it himself. He likes to get in the car by himself, etc. If he won't come or do what he should, I tell him that I'm going to pick him up. That usually speeds him up because he would rather do it himself!
Tough love. If she can't make it to the PJ-mobile fast enough, leave her. Let her stand out in the driveway by herself for a few hours. Once it starts getting dark outside, she'll get the picture.
Emotionally scarred for life? Maybe. But she'll get the point. Dawdling will NOT be tolerated!
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