Redirection

Since I started work last week it’s harder to get out of the door in the morning! Seriously I get up an hour early and somehow I’m running around at the last minute trying to get three kids out of the door. I definitely think it’s harder now than when the kids were babies. At least then you could strap them safely in their car seats and go. When they get older they have their own agenda!

With only a few minutes to spare in the morning I usually ask my oldest to go brush her teeth. I ‘m amazed when I pause to watch her and see the manner in which she gets distracted on the way to the bathroom. I can almost hear her thoughts, “oops, I dropped my sock…oh what’s that on the floor… oh it’s my dolly, well she needs to go for a nap before I go... hmmm… I wonder where her clothes are?” And on and on it goes until I find her rummaging in the closet for her dolly’s clothes.

The funny thing is even if I’m standing next to her while she’s brushing her teeth she gets distracted. By the nature of their young age, kids will need to be redirected. I try to remember that kids can’t be nagged to death. They hear several hundreds requests per day. By the end of the day - or in my case by the beginning of the day – kids can tune out a parent’s voice. Sometimes talking isn’t the best answer. Often using gentle friendly reminders help; put the toothpaste on the toothbrush and hand it to her.

Between gentle reminders and streamlining the process, I know it’ll get better. One mom I know used to have her kids go to sleep with their school clothes on. Some might think that’s overkill or at the very least ridiculous. Me? I think it’s positively brilliant!

Sheila Cason, MD