08/30/2026
WHAT IF I TOLD YOU THERE’S A BETTER WAY TO SAY…
“Get dressed.”
“Put your shoes on.”
“Grab your backpack.”
“Get your water bottle.”
“Come on, we have to go.”
Most parents say some version of these things every single morning.
And when kids are young, they need it.
But at some point, we want to begin shifting the responsibility from our brain to theirs.
So instead of giving them the next instruction every time, try asking:
“What do you need to do to be ready?”
Then wait.
Let them look around.
Let them think.
Let them remember.
Maybe they say:
“I need to get dressed.”
Great.
“What else?”
“My shoes.”
“What else?”
“My backpack.”
Now something different is happening.
You’re no longer doing all of the thinking for them.
They are beginning to create the list themselves.
That may seem small.
It isn’t.
Because eventually we want a child who walks into the morning and thinks:
“Okay, what do I need?”
“What’s already done?”
“What am I forgetting?”
“What’s my next move?”
That awareness develops over time.
And we’ve seen children begin making this shift as early as 8 years old when parents intentionally start giving them opportunities to think before giving them the answer.
Will you still have to remind them sometimes?
Of course.
They’re kids.
But the goal is to gradually need fewer reminders.
Because every time your child notices something before you tell them…
remembers something before you remind them…
or figures out the next step on their own…
a little more responsibility has moved from you to them.
And that’s exactly where we want it to go.
One day, instead of saying:
“Get dressed. Put your shoes on. Grab your backpack.”
you simply ask:
“What’s your next move?”
And they know.
That’s awareness.
That’s responsibility.
That’s growing up.
Stronger From The Inside Out™
And I think *What’s your next move?” could become a very strong Mastery parent phrase.
Not another command.
A question that makes the child **look, think, decide, and act.**
“Your backpack is by the door.”
“Say thank you.”
“Go get ready.”
And for a while, that’s exactly what they need.
But as children grow, something important should begin to change.
They start noticing more on their own.
They see what needs to be done.
They remember what comes next.
They recognize when someone needs help.
They get themselves ready without waiting for another instruction.
It doesn’t happen overnight.
It happens through hundreds of little moments.
Then one day you realize:
You didn’t remind them.
And they did it anyway.
That’s bigger than it looks.
That’s awareness beginning to become responsibility.
And over time, that responsibility becomes self-leadership.
Stronger From The Inside Out™
