Parents need to be patient and offer daily reminders to help children develop new habits and routines.

Parents often believe that a child is not listening or trying, when the child just needs more days of repetition and reminders.

This includes brushing their teeth, getting ready for school, or coming home and doing homework.

Consider creating a chart for the family with 60 days:

- Check the box or add a sticker each day that the task is completed successfully with a reminder.

- Create a different symbol for those days the child completes the task without a reminder.

- Consider offering your child a small reward after a number of consecutive completions without a reminder.

Research shows it takes approximately 30 repetitions for a new habit to form in long-term memory and the brain to turn to "auto-pilot" for seemingly rote tasks. As with any task, some children may require even more than 30 cycles or repetitions, and parents must be patient and understand that the child's seeming lack of motivation may not be deliberate.