Learner Dad: Will I be calling to my son’s house on his wedding day to help him put on socks?

I’ve no patience, so trying to stand back and let my kids do anything at all for themselves isn’t great for my sense of calm. We’re not helicopter parents – we're more cattle-prod parents, where it's, “Come on, come on, get a move on, why haven’t you done it yet?”.

Picture: iStock 

How old does a child have to be before they can get themselves dressed and out to school? I typed it into Google there and the answer at the top of the page was 18 months. 

Working off that timescale, my two should be driving themselves to school. But they’re not. At eight and six years old, it’s still very messy trying to get them going in the morning. (Maybe it’s just me, but they seem extra dreamy these mornings, after a two- month lockdown.)