Don’t Jinx It

I’m nearly afraid to write this post. I don’t want to mess anything up or cheer too loud too soon. But, for the last two weeks Dylan has responsibly gotten out of bed at 7:00 a.m., gotten his own breakfast and eaten, taken a bath, gotten dressed and brushed his teeth. He presents himself to me at about 7:40, ready for school. Most mornings he has gotten to play for a few minutes, while I finish up a few things before taking him to school. At first, I wasn’t entirely certain the child cheerfully announcing, “I’m ready!” was actually mine.

Dylan has had the same morning routine and schedule for 3 1/2 years. Until two weeks ago, despite all kinds of scheduling aids getting him ready in the morning required a hefty dose of ” Have you brushed your teeth?” or “What do you need to do now?” Some mornings were abject failures of parental patience. I hate starting my day as a nag, but there were days…

Maybe seven is the magical age when everything starts clicking together. I’m holding my breath. It’s great to take a shower and not wonder if Dylan is going to be late because I bathed instead of chirping reminders at him every five minutes.

If you were curious, Anya is an entirely different story. Entirely different.

Tags: dylan, morning schedule, responsibility