SOMWaD: What Did I Do Right?
Up until this week, getting my kid out
of bed was a MAJOR hassle, pain in the butt, you name it. I even wrote
about it (which is below), but never got around to posting it. Then this
week things changed. (And maybe I'm jinxing it by saying so.) But prior
to this week, here's what life was like...
Sleep. It's important. I know you; you know it.
We all want our kids to get enough sleep. Making it happen is what
the real challenge is.
Here are the facts for my family. My son needs to be school
by 7:40ish 3 to 4 days a week for music programs. Don't say that's too
early. Don't say that should be changed to after school. Just let
it be. It is a current fact that I need to have my kid out the door and
in the car by 7:30 on those days.
My son's alarm goes off at 6; 15. It's not an annoying
alarm; it's just a clock radio. The music/alarm goes on for 30 minutes
before it shuts off automatically. During that I time I continually pop
my head in and play the annoying mom game to try and get him up. Some
days it works; some days it doesn't. More times than not, someone has to
"force" him out of bed by 6:45.
He then gets dressed. (Clothes are supposed to be laid out the
night before. Most times they are, but then there are always the times
when they are not. Or there could be an issue with what he put out; a
stain suddenly found or pants that no longer fit. Then we're back to
square one.) Some days he makes his bed.
Finally by around 7 he manages to come downstairs for breakfast.
Usually I’ve got it prepped because I'm trying to move things along. I make
sure lunch is out and ready (packed the night before) and that his water bottle
is full. (He's gone through 3 this year alone. They keep wandering away.
Sometimes he finds them in a classroom or in the lost and found, but...)
He eats and has maybe 10 minutes of "kid time" before I'm after him
to use the bathroom and get his backpack together. This causes much
consternation, complaining, whining, moaning, groaning...you name it.
Finally at 7:25 it's shoes and coat on, (There's the battle over
if a coat needs to be worn and if it does which one he "has" to
wear.) The backpack (which weighs a ton) is put on and if it's a band
day, his trumpet is grabbed and off we go to the car. All the while with
grumbles of how horrible school is.
Now, my son doesn't really hate
school. (No matter how much her grumbles.) When he comes home at
the end of the day, he's usually in a pretty good mood. (Unfortunately I'm not
there to see it.) Homework can usually bring the mood down a bit
(especially if it's "hard;" as homework is getting more difficult as
time goes by). By the time I get home, he's usually in a pretty good
mood, as homework is done and he's had some "boy time."
So I'm trying to find solutions to make the mornings easier;
specifically getting out of bed and getting moving. I've had him go to
bed earlier (but he couldn't sleep) and I've had him go to bed later (which can
actually be hit and miss). I'm open to trying just about anything to make
the weekdays mornings a little less grumpy and a bit faster.
So what happened this week? Well there was a 3 day weekend where
he did nothing but chill out. (Which was only a mistake when you see the
grade on his French Quiz from Monday, but that's another topic.) But what
he did to change was set the alarm to an actual beeping alarm. Which is
surprisingly not that loud or that annoying. It still goes off for 30
minutes but he's usually out of bed and dressed (Yes, he's been laying out his
clothes every night and doesn't always need a reminder) within 15-20 minutes of
the alarm going off. For my part, I've been staying OUT of his room,
other than when the alarm goes off. I do open the door, pull up the
shades and just do a general "good morning" but other than that, he's
on his own.
And for the past 4 days, he's been up, dressed and downstairs for
breakfast before I'm finished in the bathroom. (To make it even more
amazing, I've cut my routine a bit which is saving me some time.) This
morning he even asked if someone was coming downstairs to help him with
breakfast. (Not make him breakfast, help.) Now the kid could always
get his own breakfast if he wanted, but now he's doing most of it on his own.
(Of course how hard is it to pour a bowl of raisin bran, which was his
selection this week?) He's finished and doing his own thing (watching
videos, "legoing" or whatever else he wants) before I've watched
"Your World in 90 Seconds." (Need my 90 seconds from CBS This
Morning.) The complaints (when I tell him that it's time to brush the
teeth and comb the hair) are fewer and heading out the door has been much
easier.
I'd like to think my boy is growing up and maturing. (He's
DEFINITELY growing up! He's getting taller by the minute.) Who
knows how long this easy morning phase will last. (I've got to be
realistic and figure that it's not a permanent thing.) But while it's
here, I'm grateful. And maybe, just maybe, we ALL we manage to stay on
this path. Stranger things have happened!
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