The Pressure!

Jake and I had this discussion last Friday morning.

Jake: Is there anything for me to do today?

Me: No. Not that I can think of. (I didn't recall any special activities scheduled for Friday.)

Jake: Can I finish my Lego truck?

Me: Sure.

Jake: After breakfast. I have to have breakfast first.

Me: Yeah. We should eat first.

Jake: After reading.

Me: Reading first is good.

Jake: After my chores. I have to sweep the floor first.

Wow. How did the morning go from Lego playtime, to eating, reading, and doing chores? We are a stay-at-home family so that the children can have plenty of time to follow their interests.

Three things to accomplish before playtime should not be too much to do, but lately Jake sometimes takes more than an hour to finish a meal. Thursday he was lamenting to his mother that he had no time to play in the morning. (If you spend two hours eating a small plate of food, you take up all your free time before noon.) Jake had a bad day that day. He made too many poor choices and spent a lot time in time out. Maybe he was overwhelmed by the new chore chart? He could not see the end in sight and so he quit trying?

Bentley has more school type activities to accomplish in the morning than Jake does, but he knocks them out quickly and gets his chore done first thing and even manages to eat his breakfast (not his favorite meal) in a timely manner. Then he's free to do what he likes. Legos. Box games downstairs. Puzzles. (He did a 300 piece on his own Tuesday afternoon.) Typing. (B thinks it's a fun computer game so he does it in his free time.) Whatever he wants to do. Skating? Reading? Drawing? Playing with Lincoln? Free time!