Does it ever feel like you are in the movie “Groundhog Day” when you are trying get ready in the morning, leave the house for some activity or just get your kids to do anything together?
You ask the same questions over and over – “Do you have socks?” “Did you brush your teeth?” “Where’s your homework assignment?”
Here are a few tips I’ve gleaned over the years as a part of a family with 5 kids. The ages range from almost 3 to 15 so we have all levels of development.
Partner-Up
It usually works best for the oldest and youngest to be partners and then the others from there. I also like to have cross-matching so Kid A is partners with Kid B and Kid B is partners with Kid C. That way, they all look out for the others. This works especially well if you have an odd number of kids, like we do. We always do this kind of thing when we are going somewhere busy, where we might somehow get separated. It helps with accountability.
Assign Tasks that are Age-Appropriate
For the example of helping make dinner, the 15-year-old might get to cut things. The toddler is in charge of putting the plastic bottle of ranch dressing on the table. Find the right task for each kid. Don’t forget the other tasks that need to be done around dinner too such as feeding the dogs. This also applies if you are trying to pack or unpack the car before or after a trip. The older ones can start the laundry piles; the younger ones can carry everyone’s pillows.
Find Your Departure Time and Add 15 minutes
I’m not kidding…this is the magic number I’ve found. It seems that getting everyone organized, the right equipment or clothing lined up, everyone visiting the restroom, getting any snacks ready (see delegating above) all causes us about 15 minutes of extra time. The “worst-case” here is that you are early to wherever you are going or you get to hang out for a few before you leave!
No Fighting Allowed
I know – this is hard. It does often help to remind the team that good teamwork will be rewarded in some way – maybe ice cream for dessert or some extra time at wherever we are going. Playing nice should be rewarded. Conversely, bad behavior means things end early. If the team is working well together, they will often remind each other about the rewards and penalties and help each other solve the issues without involving Mom and Dad.
These are just a few ideas I’ve come up with over the years. What’s your best advice? Please leave a comment so others can learn too!