I really like to promote independence with my kids, so as soon as Miss Z was able to get dressed herself, I encouraged her to do so. These days, as she is in school, she has to wear the school uniform during the week, but she is free to choose her own clothes on weekends.
The result is not always the best, but I think it’s important for her to have some control over her own life, even at this young age. And anyway, who cares if she’s wearing stripes with spots?
During the week, there are 3 morning rules that they must follow as soon as they wake up so that they are on time for school. Miss Z normally helps Mr A as he doesn’t really grasp yet these 3 little rules. And at the moment, they need to do this unaided as I’m feeding Miss A when this is all happening (around 7am).
First rule is to go to the toilet as soon as they wake up. Then, they must get dressed – that includes putting on the full uniform and putting the pyjamas under their pillow. Before they go downstairs they need to do the 3rd rule – make their bed. It’s not like the bed gets made properly, but it’s the principle here that matters. They start from a young age understanding that there are things around the house that are their responsibility.
When they come downstairs, they also need to put their shoes on, and then be ready to eat breakfast (which is something they do quite easily ;))
Things don’t always go as smoothly as I would hope… sometimes Mr A doesn’t wake up until I get him out of bed (after I finish feeding Miss A) and we end up rushing to finish breakfast in time. And he is so grumpy when he wakes up!!