Mr. Hall is a Daddy type genius

THE PROBLEM:

Both kids drag butt getting up. Especially the 8 year old girl, Pancake. I use to go in there, about half a dozen times, to rouse her. Then I got her an alarm clock. No good. She sleeps through it.

Mac, the 4 year old boy, is just as hard to get up. He'll just lay there, claiming his legs, arms or blanket is still sleeping. Then we literally remove him from his room. So he just brings his blankie into the hall way and lays back down.

And really, this is very typical. Kids have no sense of time. Their life is just one big snack time to the next. No need to rush, another cracker and juice break is coming right up.

Then there's breakfast itself. They will either endlessly chatter while SLLLLOOOOWWWLLLY eating oatmeal OR fight about who got more. The fighting and the whining. PPFFTT!! They poke each other, or Mac will keep trying to kiss Pancake. Or they fight about who gets the good spoon. THEY ARE FROM THE SAME SET!!! THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SPOONS!! gggaaah!!!

And they only eat about half a bowl each. It's a half eaten mess. And with all the talking and/or fighting Mac has spilled the oatmeal all over the place. Because talking and/or fighting makes him not pay attention.

And lord help the man who doesn't wash the oatmeal dishes right away. It turns into cement!

MR. HALL'S BRILLIANT AND VERY GENIUS DADDY SOLUTION:

He wakes Pancake up early, tells her "Better get down there and eat your oatmeal before Mac gets it."

She SPRINGS OUT OF BED. Flings herself towards the oatmeal and eats half a bowl.

When she's done we wake her brother by saying, "Mac, there's oatmeal." He comes down and finishes the rest.

The ONE BOWL is licked clean. Both kids are fed in a timely manner. No fighting, no lallygagging.

It's genius I say!! genius!!