Although Jill appears rigid in her behaviour with her eldest son, this may be viewed as her attempt to help her son manage his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Jill has received some guidance from health care professionals regarding providing high structure and being strict in enforcing rules for helping those with ADHD. Thus Jill's behaviour, such as her repetition of statements and requests, may be her way of follow-through on the management strategies and suggestions she has.

Use literacy in daily routines.

Some familiar everyday routines hold potential as educational experiences. For these households, regular routines include grocery shopping, meal preparation, and meal times. Each of these instrumental activities of daily living will now be discussed.

Grocery shopping

With regards to shopping, Andrea fails to see the purpose of involving her children. When asked if her children accompany her when she goes grocery shopping, she replies, "Don't talk about that! Not any more!…My father had come up for Christmas one year so my husband wanted to take him out to [the store]. Had fun all right! My husband and father were chasing the three kids while I was doing the shopping." She is adamant that taking children shopping is definitely "not a good idea!" which explains why she usually tries to do the shopping herself.

Likewise, Lynne feels that grocery shopping is not a task to be shared with her daughter and typically her partner takes the shopping list and goes to the grocery store "where it's opened 24 hours. He goes in the middle of the night when he rides the cab on – usually it's every second Thursday. You're looking at 2 – 3 o'clock in the morning."