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Don’t Gimme A Break

You know why? Because my children will not get out of bed when they are supposed to! We started back to school last Monday after 3 weeks off and going into our second week back, my daughters are struggling more than ever. Typically, both of them are up by 8:00, at the latest. That gives them time to clear the fog from their sleepy brains, eat some breakfast, and do their morning chores in time to start school by 9:00. Yes, it varies in actual start time on occasion but we try to hit the mark most days. However, these past 6 school days have been a joke. At first, I was very relaxed about it — oh, they are just recuperating from all the festivities, traveling and inconsistent bedtimes — but by now, I’m running out of patience!

It doesn’t help that this time of year also creates a little lethargy in myself. Getting up while it’s still dark takes quite the effort on my part (and on my husband’s part — his foot on my backside pushing me out of my warm covers). But thankfully, because of a commitment to provide daycare for my cousin’s daughter, I am up and at ‘em without fail.

Any ideas for breaking your children out of a “sleeping in” habit? So far, releasing the aforementioned commitment (Dayna) into their bedroom is at least waking them up. She is my secret weapon for now!

This entry was posted on January 14, 2008 at 5:41 pm and is filed under Miscellaneous. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

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2 Responses to “Don’t Gimme A Break”

  1. csthomas72 says:
    January 14, 2008 at 7:18 pm

    Oh, this made me laugh! I struggle in the morning as well and can relate to this post both as a mother and a daughter. he he :)

    My kids are little still (only 6 and 3) but I do have 2 ideas.
    One, if they are teenagers, it is a scientific fact that they need more sleep. So, if your schedule can take it, just change your start time.

    Assuming that won’t work (and it wouldn’t at my house. 9:00 is as late as I can push it and still make the day flow),
    I think this is what Rebecca Avery says, or maybe a modification of it. Set a time for school to start. If they aren’t there, then they are letting you know that they need more time in the morning, so obviously they need 15 extra minutes to get ready. So, if they normally wake 8, and they aren’t ready by 9; then the next morning you wake them at 7:45. If they still aren’t ready, then the next morning you wake them at 7:30. Be infuriatingly cheerful as you wake them - for example, let them know that you are glad they chose to be woken up 15 minutes early because you get to see their faces for 15 extra minutes. :)

    If they do not have good attitudes when you wake them, then they are letting you know that they have chosen to also go to bed 15 or 30 minutes earlier.

    I would imagine this would be a little hard as a parent (it would be for me), but also that it wouldn’t take too long for them to be ready at 9:00. :)

  2. pattycov says:
    January 15, 2008 at 4:00 pm

    I like your suggestions! This morning, praise God, they woke up without any “encouragement” from me! Woo-hoo! Of course, they knew we were going to Ladies’ Bible Study, which would mean social time for them, so I think that might’ve been the motive. I’m hoping by next week, their bodies will be back on schedule. Also, I’ve got to make sure that they are in bed earlier than normal (and they don’t like that a bit!)

    Thanks again! Patty

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