Kids these days
Dear Funny Problems,
As a mom of young school age kids, I’m finding my mornings to be very stressful. I’m constantly badgering my kids to get dressed, brush teeth, stop fighting, etc. The chaos usually continues in the car, and I often drop them off at school feeling exasperated… telling myself that tomorrow will be different. How can I make our mornings more pleasant for everyone? Help!!!
Charlotte Crawford
Dear Charlotte
I hear you. And if you were my neighbor, you would hear me too. My mornings are also filled with noisy chaos. Someone once told me that if you raise your voice to your children in order to get their attention then that is how they will come to gage your level of sincerity. That they won’t take what you’re asking them to do seriously until you raise your voice, and they’ll assume that everything leading up to that point is child’s play. With that notion in mind, your response to their wild behavior is everything. You want to be taken seriously before you’re driven to the point of exasperation. My suggestion to you isn’t a one-time fix and will require effort on your part. Every morning, when you wake up, you have to hit reset. Every. Single. Morning. Leave the past in the past and give each new day the reverence it deserves. Every morning you need to make the decision not to yell and to do your best so that all chaos will diffuse peacefully while you get your little ones out the door. This act of mindfulness will hopefully calm your nerves and build your confidence so that in time your children will respond to your relaxed demeanor.
Trust me, I wish there was a magic potion to chill our kids out, but there isn’t. Our children’s behavior is often a reflection of our own and if we want peace in the valley we need to get our Zen on.
However, if you’re looking for immediate results, just tell your kids that if they’re good you’ll take them to McDonald’s. My kids are SO good when I take them to McDonald’s.
FP
Funny Problems 
Dear Charlotte:
I don’t think I can improve on FP’s response except to add that taking your children to McDonald’s each day of the week will not only add to your budget but also to their waistlines. I like the mindfulness advice…you can always change yourself but not others. Another trick I learned is to whisper. Nothing gets children’s attention faster than not being able to hear what you are saying just on the off chance you are saying: “McDonalds”.
Sh-h-h-h,
Mamma J
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