".... and what part of this don't you understand?!?!"

[Claudia1]

...I said to my 9 yr, 4th grade son this morning, 5 minutes after we were supposed to have left for school.

(read this with a wicked edge to your inner voice)
"You get up, you get dressed, you make your bed, you eat breakfast, you get your stuff in your backpack, you get in the van, and we leave."

For a genius IQ and a really, really sharp kid, this routine seems to put him in a mental place where no man has gone before. We have had the same routine for 5 years.

It is the third day of school and we are starting all over again.

**sigh**

Having gone thru some very difficult situations with DD, this simple one is driving me nutso!!!!

 

[binny]

Oh I feel your pain! Same situation here

This really isnt that hard of a concept you know????

 

[nativetxn]

Been there and done that. My ds finally figured it out when he entered graduate school

 

[Pin Wizard]

Is it the age?????? I went through the same thing with 9 yo 4th grade son this morning. He didn't want to go to school at all. The first day he came home and said "I hate school." I've NEVER heard that from him before. This morning he tried to use a cough as an excuse to stay home. Same thing...get your tail moving or we're going to be late! Finally, I told him that if he didn't get moving and was late for school, TV would be gone for the weekend. He moved.

 

[browneyes]

We get the backpacks ready the night before and I put them in the truck so we won't forget them (I'm not a morning person). They eat b'fast on the way to school too.

It's the little things that get to us (the straw that broke the camel's back, etc.). {{hugs}}

BTW, my dd is 9 yo and is in the 4th grade too (and in the gifted program also).

 

[kejoda]

We will be having the same problem in about 3 weeks. It doesn't matter how early we get Kevin to bed he does not want to get up. And of course his school starts at 7:50.

 

[Kama89]

Oh my gosh....can I relate to this!!!! ....and what is it that's so fascinating about oatmeal on school mornings?! I mean, it must be fascinating, because he will sit and stare at it for 30 minutes. Same with the shoes when it's time to put them on. Who knew Vans were so riveting.

 

[LvsTnk]

I am sooo mean I bought them alarm clocks and said you're on your own and I'm leaving at 7:30!!

 

[Jennyfyar]

My DD's slow down trick is stretching. That kid needs to take up Yoga she does so much stretching in the morning! Before she can make her bed, then again before dressing, brushing her teeth, and so on and so on!!

 

[Mattsmom]

I have a few more days of peace in the morning left. They start school next Tues.

I would like to know though, why kids who can't get up for school during the week (mine!) have NO problem on Sat. morning!

 

[jan/cape]

One morning last year my 9 year old 4th grader sat on the couch and REFUSED to get dressed. Here I am taking the trash to the street, feeding the dog, and attemting to scrape and warm the car. Finally after many loud, angry warnings I lost it!!! If you don't get your butt dressed right now, I will drag you into school in yur pajamas, and don't tempt be because the car is warming up right now!!!!! She quickly ran upstais to get those p.s.'s off. Oh, I was HOT that morning. But she hasn't pulled that stunt again.

 

[Pin Wizard]

Originally posted by LvsTnk
I am sooo mean I bought them alarm clocks and said you're on your own and I'm leaving at 7:30!!

ROFLMAO!! I love this!

 

[Mskanga]

I know I'm bad but I bought two alarm clocks, and I place them as loud as they will go at 7:15 am , I place far away where they have to get out of bed to hit the snooze button or shut them off , then they are out of bed!! Second is don't come out of that room until your bed is made and you are dressed, right after that comes breakfast and bathroom time ( they shower the night before ) and then get your school stuff ready ( which usually dd does the night before right after homework ) , lunch we buy in school and snacks I pack. But let me tell you....MANY times I get the ..." I didn't have time to have breakfast" why?? because we are watching TV!!!! and YES you guessed it....she's 9 and in 4th grade!!!

 

[MerryPoppins]

My daughter used to be the worst. She just couldn't get going in the morning. I started making her a big glass of cold orange juice in the morning. Thick fruit smoothies are great, too. I give it to her with a skinny straw, so she has to really work to drink it. Sometimes I give her yogurt with a straw instead.

That cold together with the sucking hard and the sugar seems to wake her up and she moves faster getting ready for school.

We also get clothes, lunches, backpacks, etc ready the night before. It makes getting ready so much faster. No choices need to be made when tired little brains are muddled.

These ideas came from our Occupational Therapist. She also had great ideas for settling down to go to bed. The theory is that you need to get centered and alert to be most productive. You also need to get centered and calm if you are over-stimulated before bed. Hope this helps someone else. Let me know if it works.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

<font color=navy>I got mine alarm clocks, and their clocks wake ME up, and they sleep right through them!!

They do have to get up early though, typically between 5am and 5:15, so we can leave the house @ 6:30.

One time, my dd just wouldn't wake up, so I got the vacuum cleaner and started it right next to her. She did the best windmill jump impression that I ever saw. My ds & I still laugh about that, however, she just

 

[Claudia1]

I am sorry that all of your have to deal with this syndrome but I'm glad I'm not alone!

We also get the backpacks ready the night before and put them right by the back door, ready to snatch & run. The big deal comes when DS decides to take his lunch and he actually has to put the lunch bag into his prepared backpack. GASP!!! It seems that he has to take everything out to make room, then the lunch bag still ends up on the top of everything he puts back in.

And TV is a problem at our house, too........ The house rule is that you don't watch it until everything is done. Funny how he thinks he is ready while not wearing shoes & most of breakfast still staring right back at me from the plate. Breaking this rule not only gets you a lecture on the way to school but twice the time is subtracted from evening viewing (which is not much to begin with!).

 

[d.kurz]

Originally posted by Pin Wizard
Is it the age?????? I went through the same thing with 9 yo 4th grade son this morning. He didn't want to go to school at all. The first day he came home and said "I hate school." I've NEVER heard that from him before. This morning he tried to use a cough as an excuse to stay home. Same thing...get your tail moving or we're going to be late! Finally, I told him that if he didn't get moving and was late for school, TV would be gone for the weekend. He moved.

Hi Pin Wizard!

It's strange that all of a sudden he "hates" school. Had the same situation with DD one year. A mean kid decided it was her year to be picked on. I fixed the situation, but it took me a long time to get to the bottom of her sudden dislike of school.

 

[LvsTnk]

The alarm clocks didn't work right away I had to leave once without one of them.......he didn't like walking to school much. I do get up much earlier than they do so the clocks waking me up is not a problem LOL!

In all fairness I do have to get my DS with special needs going and that is a huge problem, he gets up with a clock like my other 2 he just has a hard time getting dressed and eating.

 

[glo]

All I can say is I am glad that I am not alone....I guess that there is comfort in numbers....HUGS ALL!!!

 

[Serena]

I hear ya! One day I threatened to make her go to school in her pj's too. It's funny how fast they can move when they want to.