Does anyone else have a problem getting their kid going in the morning?

Question

I'm not talking about waking up, she's usually wide awake. She's 8 years old and in the morning, or any time we have to be somewhere, I have to ask her several times to do every little thing, like eat your breakfast, brush your teeth, get dressed. She plays around and sings and wastes so much time that we run late almost every day. I give her the simplest breakfasts that should be able to be eaten within 15 minutes, but she can draw it out to 30 minutes or longer. After she does her bathroom business, she takes forever at washing her hands. I have to tell her every little thing to do, but I feel like at the age of 8 she should already know what to do with very little prompting. She doesn't have ADHD or anything, she focuses and does very well at school and activities, but when she has to get ready to go anywhere, it's a nightmare, not matter how much extra time I alot, we end up running late. Anyone else have similar problem? Any solutions that worked for you?

Answer 1

Why Ritalin??? Unless there is a problem related to that.All kids take time.What I do is when my kids keep taking time I let them miss school on that day and they have to sit at home and not watch TV or play games or read.Just sit. In the evening they have to take notes from fellow students,sleep early with the impending threat that if they don't sleep they will not be able to wake up and again spend a boring day. Try it.Also bend down,look them in the eye as u say all this...

Answer 2

spank her.

Answer 3

tell her she has 15 min to eat her breakfast then at that point take it away. She will not starve and the next morning she will be faster.

same with doing her hair. Set a timer for 5 min, then she has to stop when the buzzer goes off. She goes to school with her hair as it is. Give her consequences for her actions. You are right, at 8 she needs to be better at this

Answer 4

I do this with my grankids...when I say shoes and coats and I give about 3 minutes.....I leave with the ones that are ready.  The one that got left knows the next time that I am NOT joking.  Make consequences for this behavior such as...missing the event, extra chores, no tv time, no bubbles in bath etc...but try to make it fit the situation.  GL...sounds a bit like ODD....does she do it only with you/only at home?  She may know how to play you.  Good Luck.

Answer 5

I dont have kids personally, but there is a neighbor I have whos kid you can hear screaming at around 7:30 am every weekday morning because he has to go to school. He cries and I think its hillarious secretly =)

Answer 6

You said the one thing I wanted to hear to put my mind at ease...she doesn't have ADHD.  ADD and ADHD are disease-mongering from pharmaceutical companies.  I was the same way at that age.  Impossible to get and stay on task.  My mom was constantly nagging me.  I graduated college in 4 years despite that lol.  Stick it out, and keep her off adderall.  That stuff is speed.  She's just being an 8 year old girl.  Most kids at that age aren't too ambitious to get ready to go to school.

ADDENDUM:

I think the poster below me meant that it sounds like OCD--obsessive compulsive disorder.  IMO, it sounds NOTHING like that.  Like another person said...set rules and limitations so that she is rewarded and penalized for not doing the things she has to do...but SHEESH...leaving a kid behind when going on a family outing because they weren't ready on time seems traumatizing!

Answer 7

My 10 year old step-daughter was the same way, luckily I'm a SAHM and don't have to go to work but I do have a 10 month old to get up and changed and fed so I can't follow her around all morning saying Hurry up, we're late. She was wide awake early, usually before I was but she was never dressed, even though her clothes are layed out the night before, she wanted to spend 30 minutes eating breakfast, 30 minutes brushing her teeth, getting dressed, putting on shoes etc. I have never seen a human being take so long to get ready. I  started calling her snail, it was ridiculous. Finally after 2 years of just barely making it to school on time and with the baby to tend to now I set some new rules. If she wants to wake up early and watch TV in her room before school she has to be dressed by the time I come into her room to get her up if she's not I unhook her cable for the rest of the week, she has 10 minutes to eat cereal, 20 if I make eggs or french toast, I set a timer once the timer goes off I take the plate away whether she is done or not. I then set a timer for the bathroom, she has 5 minutes to brush teeth wash face and use the potty. Her toothbrush has blinking lights that tell her when she is done brushing so I know she is getting the full 2 minutes in. She is very particular about her hair, having it brushed and neat looking for school so she knows if she goes over the bathroom time limit she doesn't get her hair brushed. Then she puts her shoes on. If my shoes are on before hers she has to wear her velcro shoes, which I bought specifically for that purpose. She HATES wearing velcro shoes because she says she looks like a baby. I have told her that since I unknot them and get them ready so all she has to do is put them on and tie them, if she can't do it quickly enough she will have to wear velcro. Our routine is much smoother now than ever and we no longer have morning battles.

I am glad also to see that you have not mistaken normal childhood behaviors for ADD. I was diagnosed with ADD as a child and put on ritalin. I feel it still has an adverse effect on me today not to mention what it did to me back then. One of the main ingredients in Ritalin and other ADD drugs is amphetamine which is what Methamphetamine is made out of. I have seen what Meth does to people so how is that safe to give to your kids? I mean Ritalin turns kids into zombies its disgustion. So kudos to you for not giving in to the mass diagnoses that all children who act like children have ADD/ADHD

Answer 8

after the 15 min of breakfast in front of her...take it away. shell learn to eat when it is time to eat. the getting dressed part...tell her u will take her as is when u are ready 2 go and do so if u have to. it teaches real quick. my 2 girls 15 and 16 yr olds, now get them selves up & out the door...they know if they are late 2 school/miss bus...they are in heaps of trouble. U gotta stick 2 ur guns or shell keep walkin over ya and get worse. Call Super Nanny!

Answer 9

Get used to it. it gets worse as they start to go through puberty. Day dreaming on the toilet and sitting on the floor looking at socks instead of putting them on. I'm sure she'll grow out of it since there isn't anything medically wrong. Make sure she has consequences if she is just blowing you off and stick to them. Maybe she'll come around sooner but I wouldn't bet on it. Sometimes I'll get my daughter up 10-15 minutes earlier but I won't tell her, then when she is on time she feels good about it and keeps up her momentum for a couple of days. Good luck

Answer 10

We do the same thing in the same order everyday.  I would like to change the order - but the kids like it so I've left it.  BUT they know that since it's their order, it has to be done in a timely manner:

7:00 - UP.  if you wake early, you can read or play or dance...but at 7:00 we start to get ready for school

7-7:30   breakfast.  Pick it out, cook it up, eat it.  Review the lunch menu, decide on a lunch and if needed, pack it.  

7:30-8:00  get dressed, brush your teeth, brush your hair.  Be back downstairs w/ socks ON at 8:00.

8:00 - 8:10 put on coat, boots, mittens, doublecheck back pack.

8:10 walk out the door.

I have dragged a screaming child to the bus stop, I have threatened to send them to school in jammies (I did it once in preschool, and they know I'm not kidding).  But they know that this routine doesn't change.  It's the immovable object.  

It's smoother if they've laid out their clothes before bed, and can make up their minds about breakfast so they have time to eat.

Somedays, they have time to play.  If they're ready early we'll play, or run around outside, or even watch tv. But at 8:10 they walk out the door.