News Articles

Love & Logic for Parents

By N. Olsen
4 Mar

Off to School on Time

Young teens, Maggie and Marcy, were on their mom's last nerve. They couldn't seem to get themselves going in the morning. Getting them out of bed was like pulling teeth. Since mom drove them to school on her way to work, waiting for them caused her to be late for work several times.

Mom finally decided to take charge of the situation. (Otherwise known as setting limits by taking care of herself.) She bought them an alarm clock and announced that they would be waking themselves from now on.

She also called their attention to the family bulletin board, saying, "From now on my car will be leaving at 7:15 each morning. Feel free to ride with me if you are up and ready. If not, I've listed several options for getting to school.

"The phone number for the cab company is listed on the bulletin board. If you don't like their price, I talked to Mrs. Lackey next door. She'd like to earn some extra money, and would be glad to drive you for $7.00. Or, you can call dad at work and see how much he would charge to come home to give you a ride. I have no idea how much that would cost.”

Let's give mom some well-deserved pats on the back. I guess I don't need to tell you how this situation worked out.