Anybody else's child age 8 have zero commonsense?

[IndieTara]

I'm so wound up right now (being monday prob doesnt help )
Every schoolday morning my DD knows she needes to get washed, teeth brushed, dressed and hair brushed. Every day everything she needs is ready in the same place.
Why does she never just do it? Why when we get to ten past 8 am i always saying to her why isnt your hair brushed?/ shoes on/ tie on / or any number of other things she hasnt done?
I spend the previous hour whilst I'm getting ready reminding her of what she needs to do eg 10 mins left to finish your breakfast so you've enough time to get dressed.
She was actually up early this morning but we were still dashing out the door with her crying and my face like thunder.
Why when we have to do the same things every morning, does she look at me and say 'I didn't know'
It is driving me absolutely crazy. Pls tell me your kids are all the same!

My ds is great in many ways. Very sensible and trust worthy.

Until school mornings.

It is utterly frustrating. Exact same as you posted.

My latest tactic is he loses 5 mins from bedtime (ie goes up earlier) each time he doesn't do what he's supposed to.

Oh and like you say, it's a surprise each morning thst he has to get dressed/brush teeth etc . Despite doing the same thing every bloody morning for 8 years

Switch the order around, dressed, teeth ad hair done, then downstairs for breakfast. Somehow speeds things up

Mine are the same. Capable confident intelligent children that need constant chivvying in the morning.

Wheeler, yes!! A complete surprise every day. Thanks all, feeling much better now

I'm afraid so I have an intelligent wonderful 8 yr old daughter with the common sense of a gnat! Although I will say first day back after half term and she was ready, dressed and raring to go at 7.00! My favourite was after having road safety training at school she decided to walk up the path past numerous drives and roads backwards - clearly the training didn't pay off!

Our routine is get dressed before going downstairs for breakfast. She knows that she has to clean her teeth, brush her hair etc and whatever time left is her time to do what she wants (usually 10 minutes of tv). This works for us. I do have friends who use a checklist/pocket money reward system for this though.

Yes I have thought about doing everything before eating breakfast but I know for certain that means she will spill breakfast on her uniform. I need a very large bib.
Willow, my DD would be the same, no question.

My 10yo DD is just the same and no sign of changing. Away with the fairies most of the time. Never just organises herself without prompting - often more than once. I've found simple instructions work best (one thing at a time) and allows us to have less stressful mornings in the hope that one day she'll improve.

On the other side, recently she was editing a plan for a school assembly that she was organising and (whilst watching covertly) I saw an efficient organised side to her that I'd never have believed without seeing it myself.

So I hope that there's hope

I've got a 12 year old line that. Despite reminding, just about every day there is a panic hunt for something weird and wonderful that I couldn't have guessed. Drives me nuts!

Yes I have thought about doing everything before eating breakfast but I know for certain that means she will spill breakfast on her uniform. I need a very large bib.

Everything done before breakfast in this house and I have splashy, messy 8yo. The trick for us is put adult t-shirt on over uniform. THEN breakfast. THEN teeth brushing. THEN remove t-shirt and walk out of door.

Good luck.

I'm aware that my adult t shirt = your large bin idea. But mine covers arms too!

I'm going to upset you now, by telling you that my dc who was like that at 8, is still like that at 20
sorry!

Yes. It got a lot better when we did everything before coming downstairs for breakfast.

But it was so utterly frustrating to have to say "if you find yourself doing something that isn't getting dressed, brushing your teeth, eating breakfast, putting your shoes on; then it's something you shouldn't be doing and really, really don't have time for. Every. Bloody. Day.

And breathe.

I've been known to dress my 8yo in the morning

It's time to make the rules and enforce them. If you're always doing everything for them no matter how much you remind them, why should they change their behavior? In their mind, mom will just take care of it anyway, so I'll just wait for her. Spell out clear punishments for not doing their tasks and then stick to it. No television or video games for 3 days, no computer, whatever. Just do NOT give in. It's time your child knows who runs the house, and it's not them!

Give them a visual list so they can see and tick off...

Then yes just implement the rules with whatever works for them!

My 12 and 9 year old ds are the same. It drives me mad.