It's the week after daylight saving time, which means that your child's early wake-up time (that's 6:30 on the dot, or at least not more than 10 minutes later, for my kindergartner to make her 7:27 bus) is now even more brutal — even if you're using our great tips to make it less so.
It truly is one of the great parenting paradoxes: your child will wake up before dawn on the days you have nowhere to be, but on school days, when they need to be dressed, groomed, fed, and packed at an hour you would have called ungodly before kids? Guaranteed you'll have to drag them out of bed.
Our mornings usually look something like this. Around 6:30, I go into my daughter's room, open the curtains, and put her light on at the dimmest setting. I might sing a little wake-up song or remind her of something fun that's happening that day to inspire her to open her eyes and stop moaning as if doing so might kill her. Then, as every minute without movement ticks by, I get a little more firm. After about 10 minutes, I'm literally pulling her out of bed, a process not unlike dragging around a 60-pound rag doll. That's when the beast is unleashed. She might cry, attempt to throw her pajamas in my face, tell me she's too tired to go to school . . . you get the picture. It's a nightmare, but I have found a few ways to make it less of one.
If you're dealing with a kid who's grumpy, slow moving, and generally making your life miserable all morning, then barely getting to school on time, here are some tips to make your morning run a little smoother.