The Breakfast Race - David Style

Breakfast - David Style.  You may ask why are we talking about breakfast.  Well if you have kids (or have taken care of them) you already know the answer.  It is a race to get them to do anything.

First, he either waits for me to wake him up (and then says "boo" because he is already awake and just wants to scare me) or he comes and wakes me up with a "boo" just to show he can beat me.  In either case, is he dressed?  No way.  Has he brushed his teeth - no way (except today - so lets give credit where credit is due).

Has he gone to the bathroom - well today he was great.  Most of the time it takes a gentle reminder - especially if he wants to jump into bed with us in the morning.

Ok, ok - we are supposed to be talking about breakfast right. (Not really - breakfast is just a metaphor for life with this little man. As you will see, even getting through breakfast is a feat.)

As you can see from the video below, we have turned breakfast into a race.  We see who has taken the most bites of food between the two of us.  He says its fair that I get distracted making him breakfast and preparing lunch for school (and making my own tea and oatmeal), because it gives him a chance to get ahead of me. Thus it is fair?  What school is he going to?

In any case, I let him know that I can still beat him even though his waffle is on his plate with grapes - while I am stirring my oatmeal - because he gets even more distracted. So - we count how many bites each of us have taken to see who is ahead.  Hey - don't knock it - it works.

Ok - lets talk distraction.  While I am making his waffle he finds a need to do something.  It could be Monopoly - but today it is word games (luckily).  The last innocent Monopoly game lasted 2 weeks.  So while I am trying to get him to eat breakfast he is still playing his word games.  (I am not displeased they will be more psychologically sophisticated word games when he is a bit older.  I can still handle this level - I think.)

In any case, how can you get upset with a kid who wants to practice his letters and words in the morning. Well - when you have to race to get to work yourself and make sure he is ready for the trip to school with his mom you do want him to actually finish his breakfast - sometime in this century.

Ok - now he has me distracted.  He spelled all these words and said they were "too easy."  This man is really making progress.  Ok - now you can see how he gets me distracted and wins - beating me at breakfast every morning.

What's the lesson?   It is simple, we all are in the same boat.  Kids are kids. They live in wonderful world of their own.  But it can drive you completely crazy if you lose perspective.  It goes by so quickly - so get frustrated, but once in a while just enjoy it and appreciate this fleeting moment in time.