I don’t yell at my kids, but they seem conditioned to only respond to being yelled at. getting them to do things they aren’t inclined to takes a lot of effort on my part and being consistent in that effort while working full time, cooking ,shopping and driving them to activities is more than I have managed so far. I have read how important consistently is but just have not achieved it yet.
I feel you SO HARD on this, truly. It’s really difficult to juggle everything and still be a “perfect” parent. I lose my shit sometimes as well, it’s inevitable.
The library is a great idea! It sets a good tone for learning and it’s not as distracting as being at home where all the cool stuff is lol
Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 1 week ago
I appreciate how filled your time is, and I struggled with consistency myself (still do but my kids are grown, thank goodness). If possible, set a specific Silent Reading Time and sit down with them and your own book. Make it 15 minutes rather than 30, and paper not screens just so you don’t have to keep checking. Don’t have anything planned for the 30 minutes after, so any of you who wants can continue reading longer. Pre-bedtime is one option, unless you’re already reading aloud to them because that’s even better.
By the way, they’re old enough for some of the Terry Pratchett books, like Equal Rites or Maurice and His Amazing Rodents. And you might find a little relief from reality with a Discworld book yourself. When you have to get up and go deal with the dishes or whatever, leave your book open in case one of them is intrigued.