A few days ago I gave the warning. Then another warning.
Then the very reasonable, very responsible-parenting:
“Okay, remember, I told you we were leaving in five minutes.”
And somehow we were still deeply offended when it was actually time to leave.
I keep thinking about how much work we assign to the warning itself.
Five minutes tells a kid that something is going to end.
It doesn’t necessarily help their brain finish being in it.
Adults do a lot of invisible transition work without realizing it.
A meeting is wrapping up and you start mentally closing loops. The episode is almost over and you’re already thinking about getting up. You’re leaving the house, so you grab your bag while finishing the conversation.
We don’t just know the transition is coming. We start transitioning.
Kids are still building a lot of that.
So “you had a warning” may be completely true.
It just may not explain why stopping still felt abrupt.
The warning is information.
The transition is work.
Barbara
Founder, Little Brains & Bodies