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Moms View Message Board: Parenting Discussion: A struggle every morning for school
My DD just doesn't want to get up in the morning .She sleeps 10-11 hrs a night so I know its not lack of sleep.I've set her alarm clock 10 minutes before she needs to get up for a warning.Once she is up she is fine.Any suggestions so we dont have to have a battle every morning.I hate to start the day off with everyone being grumpy
My DD (7) is usually grumpy in the morning. Always has been. She takes after her mother. LOL! I first gently wake her up by rubbing her back. She moans, and then I wake up DS. DH goes in to wake her up again before he leaves for work. She seems to enjoy this special morning time with Daddy, and this approach has worked the best for us. I wake her up first and then she lies awake in bed until DH goes in about 15 minutes later.
Trina, did your DD get really grumpy about that?
We have to let two of my kids wake up slowly. I go in their rooms, rattle around a little (making sure they have clothes picked out for school, putting away any lost toys, etc.), then rub their backs and have them walk out to the living room (usually half-asleep). I keep a running conversation with them, even though they just grunt at me, while I start breakfast while they hang out at the table or on the couch. This way they've had about 15 minutes of escalating noise and interaction expected from them. My kids eat breakfast before getting dressed because I was tired of changing clothes after a spill. My other dk takes about two minutes to stretch in bed before she pops out of bed, ready to take on the world.
I also go into her room first.Gently rub her back sometimes I can tickle her sometimes a laugh or sometimes I know when to back off.We get her clothes ready at night b/c theres just no time in the morning.My DH will go in after me, she likes it when he carries her to the couch downstairs.I let her watch t.v. while myself or DH makes her breakfast,which is usually a hot breakfast very rarely does she have cereal unless she's feeling independent that morning.I've tried all this.I guess this is just her and I'm hoping she'll make more of an effort instead of fighting me on everything.I don't want to get into the habit of having to threaten her for everything.If my DH hears her fighting with me then he gets upset telling her to do what I ask.Usually on a rough morning I'll get an extra hug from her and I know she's sorry but I wish it wouldn't esculate to this.
What motivated Emily to get up in grade school, was that if she got up and got dressed without problems, she could have computer time before school. Worked like a charm for her, although not so much anymore.
Dawn-The computer,playstation,books motivated Katie for awhile but not anymore.I started asking her to get dressed while I went downstairs to hide and she had to find me,that doesn't work anymore either.
Homeschool!
Take her to school in her pajamas without breakfast. It will only take once!
12 hrs.? That means my kids would have to be in bed by 6:30 pm. That's just not realistic. We often don't eat dinner until 6:30.
Oops! You're right Trina! I didn't mean 12 hours...that's more for toddlers. Yikes! Serves me right for being on a forum when I should be studying. *slinks off to go read*
While I understand the trouble you had getting your DH used to an alarm clock as an adult, Pam (my DH had the same problem), I don't think that waking a six, seven or eight year old up with a backrub is going to cause a problem ten or twenty years later. My dd knows that this is her last year to be woken this way and that next school year, she'll be expected to wake with an alarm clock.
I think you're right Tink...as long as you set an age limit or whatever you want to call it for "okay, now you're going to use an alarm clock", I think that's okay. As long as an end DOES come to the rubbing and tickling, etc. at some resonable point.
I had a hard time with my youngest ds when school first started. I did have to move his bedtime up to 7:30. I make sure we eat at 6pm, so he can be in bed by then. He definitely needs more sleep, and does fall asleep within minutes. I also do what PamT suggested. My boys have 30 minutes after they get up to "wake up" then they eat breakfast, get dressed, make beds, etc. If they don't do it, they don't eat and they go to school in pj's. I haven't had to take them to school in their pj's. But, my youngest did miss breakfast a few times. It didn't take him long to realize he needed to eat if he was hungry, or he would have to wait until snack time at school. My ds stopped giving me hard time within a few weeks and now we have peaceful mornings.
I find looking for something exciting that day and talking about it puts DD in a good mood. Our ENTIRE family are not morning people, so I understand her troubles. We need to wake at 6am to get ready for school! YUCK.
Today was a GREAT morning.I had a talk with her last night and explained I needed more of her help in the morning.I also told her that she would go to school in her pj's if she wasn't ready.She already goes to bed at 7:30 and reads until 8pm.I could never send her to school with no breakfast that is too important of a meal for me to cancel.Today she was up 20 minutes earlier and she actually made cheese and crackers and had a pear for breakfast.I thanked her when she left for school and said she did a great job.My DH also told her that she could pick the music on the way b/c she did such a great job.Thx for all the info ladies,Hopefully this will continue.
Tripletmom, I'm glad today worked out better for you!
Moms, be careful depending on those morning snacks at school because they don't always happen. I found that out the hard way. Luckily, I always make sure my kids eat breakfast. I am very disappointed in my local school that they don't enforce snack time at school. Not morning or afternoon snack. Because some of the kids go quite a long time from lunch to the end of school, or from breakfast to lunch, depending on their grade. Now kindys and pre-k always have their snacks, but even first graders have been known to not have their afternoon snack.
Sherri, I haven't read all the posts, but does your dd like to be read to? Maybe you can have her pick out a book she likes the night before or start a book like Stuart Little and make it a practice to read to her for 15 minutes every morning if she gets up at a certain time. That may be a motivator. I really don't remember having that issue with my dd, or if I did, it was only a short stage.
Adena - WHAT?!! I can't believe that!!!
My children don't get a snack at school. Kindergarten doesn't at all and 1st-6th grade can take something from their lunch and eat it during the morning recess, if they want a snack. I specifically send an extra piece of fruit or veggie in their lunches to get them through until lunchtime. They eat around 7am and lunch isn't until 12:30pm. Almost six hours is waaaay too long for a kid to go without eating, IMO. They don't have a pm snack but they are home by 3:00 and they eat then. Actually, I'm surprised that it's so unusual that snack isn't offered.
Another good morning,lets hope it continues.Talking of breaks and snacks at DD's school they have two 40 minute lunches.She has a drink,1/2 sandwich and fruit at each break.The school also offers veg/fruit every afternoon.I like this set-up b/c she doen't have to wait that long to eat.They are also allowed to keep bottled water on there desk all day.
40 minute lunch and snacks? My kids get 15 minutes from the time they get in line to the time they have to get to the playground. And, absolutely no snacks unless it's a special party, like Christmas. Sorry to be off topic but I'm stunned and jealous at the same time.
Wow Tayjar, are you sure about the 15 minute thing for lunch? Or is that for playground time afterwards? Because we have half an hour for lunch, which does include the time it takes to get to the cafeteria, and through the line, and to the seat. But then the recess time (when we get it, which is only during good weather) starts at line-up time to playground time, and is only fifteen minutes.
15 minutes from classroom door to playground for recess is normal for lunch here, too. My kids are slow eaters and they have to wolf down as much as they can while they can. I used to get upset when I'd see half their lunches still in their bag when they'd get home. Once they explained that they didn't have time to eat, I made sure they had something that could be eaten during their snack recess.
All I can say is that my oldest DD is not a morning person and sometimes it takes a few times of me tickling her feet and nudging (sp?) to get her up.
My DD is not really a morning person either. I do wake her up (guess I should get her an alarm clock since she is almost 10). We usually wake her, then her brother (he's 6 and gets up like a charm), then go back and remind her to get her bottom out of bed. Sometimes it takes setting the timer in the kitchen to get her moving. It's a struggle here too. She goes to bed around 7:30 but I'm sure she reads or plays. We wake her up at 7:00. She has always needed lots of sleep.
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She's more like her mama.