How to prepare your child for Monday morning after a relaxed weekend

During the weekend you typically may relax many of your rules for your children.That being said, after doing so, how do you get your child out the door on a Monday morning in an easy and prompt manner while reverting back to the weekday rules?

This is not an easy task, which is why it may be important to use the same or similar rules on the weekend as on the weekdays. Children with ADHD need consistency. Why? They need to know what to expect during as much a part of the day as is possible. If they have a fairly set schedule as well as rules of behavior, then there will be no surprises for them. They will know what to expect and then behave accordingly. If they are fully aware of what the consequences of their actions will be, then they will not be surprised when they have to live with the consequences of their actions.

That is why it is critical for you to hang up a list of the acceptable behaviors that they are to exhibit in one of the major thoroughfares of your house, perhaps, the kitchen, for example. As far as drawing up a list of the consequences that will be associated with them exhibiting unacceptable behavior, the best idea might be to collaborate with your child and come up with consequences that match up fairly with the unacceptable behaviors that your child exhibits.

What should you call these behaviors? I like to call them acceptable and unacceptable behaviors, because sometimes if you call them inappropriate behaviors, the child looks upon those words as so negative and thinks that he is the only one who exhibits these behaviors. Either way is fine. It all depends on your child’s level of self-esteem and how it is connected to his misbehavior. Just a little clarification here: You are clearly the one who has the final decision on the consequences of your child’s unacceptable behavior. However, if he has some part in collaborating in some way with that decision he will more likely feel that he owns his acceptable and his unacceptable behavior. Therefore, when he exhibits positive behavior, he will have ownership of it which will affect his self-esteem in a positive way.