D., soooo know where you are coming from! My son, who just turned four, was the same way. I leave the house with him by 6 am every morning, while my hubby and older daughters sleep in. My problem was that to help him bond with his dad, dad is military and always gone, I let them stay up till 9 or 10pm together....he would wake up cranky, whiney, and completely break down once we got to daycare making me regret working full-time as a nurse!
What I did was move his bedtime up to 8:30. No questions asked, lights out, tv off (school nights only.) And I made this change for everyone! Even my girls, although at times I'll let them read until 9pm with their doors closed so he thinks they are in bed too. It took a while to get past the crying tantrums but I've learned after 3 kids to let them cry with me in the hall just in case they get sick. As long as they are safe in their rooms they can cry until they fall asleep.
It's not easy, esp for mom who is the soother, but you have to be strong. Now when I wake my son up, I dress him and he asks to sleep a little while. I let him while I load my truck and get it warmed up. Then I tell him it's time to go and he walks down stairs, puts his shoes and coat on and walks to the truck. No more tears at school even! It's wonderful! Even though i'm working on becoming a stay-at-home mom I can go to work without the guilt! Best of luck and hope this helps.