Morning Person Mom with a NOT Morning Person Kiddo!

I'm a morning person, I'm one of those who can jump out of bed and ready to go.

My son is not. A few things that helped.

I make our mornings silly. I'm about to make myself look insane but hey it works. When I go to wake him up, I'm silly about it. I tickle him, I make funny sounds and voices. For example I was took my son's arms and made him do monkey actions and I made a monkey sound, I was saying Hey where did Jaydin go, who put this monkey in his bed. He's 7 and he was started laughing. I make up silly songs, etc. I find humor to be the best approach not only for him but for me.

Then he has a list of things that needs to be done, if he completes those tasks by the time we need to leave he gets a quarter, finishes sooner 2 quarters.

Getting dressed I have a race with him, if he can get dressed by the time I'm finished he wins.

HI THERE!!!

My little man is not so much a people person either..... this is what I have done.....(its funny all the things that are his "chores" are the same as my son's) ...

Okay, first off I revered the steps of the morning. We get him up, he sits down on the couch with his blankets, I turn on Word World (its an educational kids show), gives him a chance to wake up.... not in the comfort of his own bed, but at least still comfy, that way he THINKS he's still being lazy ;-0).... As I am doing my thing for about ten to fifteen minutes..... after that we do FIVE minutes of fun exercises,.... make it silly ,,,,,,, then we eat, and we go over his chores on his chore chart..... he gets stars .... at the end of the week WE count the stars and he gets a prizes depending on the amount of stars he has gotten.... super fun!!! HOPE IT HELPS

have a gooooood day!

I would try putting him to bed earlier and earlier until he begins to wake up on his own. Maybe he's not getting enough sleep? 2 of my 4 so far are great in the a.m. but #3 - not so much. I put her down earlier and let her sleep later and that seems to help. (#4 doesn't really have a routine yet...) Definitely keep your cool in the morning - getting frustrated and angry will only make it worse for both of you. Stay calm and consistent with your expectations/consequences or he will only take advantage of you. My son (3.5 yrs. old) is happy in the morning, although he takes WAY longer than my daughter to eat, get dressed, clean-up etc. So maybe it's just a boy thing... Hang in there - you'll get through it! :)

I've never been a morning person, either. It's 9:20 am, I've been up an hour and a half, and my brain is finally starting to work (so please forgive me if I ramble in my post). For years, I tried changing my body clock (and my mom tried for years before that), but it really doesn't work. I just have learned to deal with the fact that I cannot remember things nor think very clearly in the morning--so I prepare for that the night before. You'll probably need to do that with your son, too.

I agree with Alicia, a reverse routine might help. Try letting him "wake up" a bit before demanding things of him. Turn on some bright lights (sunlight's best, but this time of year it's not always available) to help his body clock adjust (you might even turn on his bedroom light a few minutes before you actually wake him). Let him lounge or play for a few minutes before getting dressed, or read him a "wake up" story (something active and silly, the opposite of a bedtime story). Try playing bouncy music that he likes or sing silly songs as you come into his room to wake him up. If that's too much action for him that early, try just gently tickling him awake (not the "tickle monster" kind, just a light touch on the bottoms of his feet or his tummy, etc.) while talking in a soft voice.

Anything to put him in a better mood will probably help with the time issue (although please understand that a "better" mood in the mornings might never be a "good" mood... just less grumpy and whiny, lol). It may take some time for him to get used to the new wake-up routine, as well, so try to be patient.

If he has trouble getting to sleep at night, you might avoid carbs in the evening--protein will help him sleep better--but give him a small snack of carbs in the morning to give him an energy boost. If it's possible to put him to bed a half hour earlier, you might try that, too, although from my own experience, it may not help.

Also, if you don't already, set out his outfit the night before--ALL of it, so you're not wasting time searching for a missing shoe. And can he do his chores at a different time, such as feeding the fish at dinnertime instead of in the morning? It may help to have fewer things to do in the morning--if only to lessen YOUR stress. ;-)

HTH!
--A.

Accept and get used to it!

I now have a 15 YEAR old who has never been a morning person. The good news is that a couple years ago (I know it's a long time off) she finally started getting herself up and is very prompt and responsible about it. There have just been maybe 4 times in a year and 1/2 that I have had to go get her. She is responsible getting up, but is still a tad bit cranky but that's her.

Family meals are very important to our family, but you're going to have to get over the breakfast and focus on your time together for dinner.

You didn't mention how old he was, but as he gets older, you really shouldn't nag and discipline on the way to school. In my opinion, it sets the tone of his day and even though it's driving YOU nuts he needs to know he's loved and accepted and in a good mood for his teachers. Now having said that, there needs to be consequences for his behavior. Do you want the fish? Is it mommy's fish? Help him take care of the fish now, but when it dies do not replace it! If he goes to school or where ever and looks like a fashion question instead of a fashion question someone will point it out. If his breath smells same thing. Talk to his teacher or day care of whoever and tell them this is what you're doing. You aren't the first mom to go through this and trying to get him to make changes.

Sorry, I know I didn't give you any practical tips but when I read your post I kinda chuckled remembering the last 15 years of my life! I remember calling our school district at the time and begging for morning kindergarten just so I could get her in a routine before first grade. *Since her birthday is late she had to wait that whole year to start school. She has always LOVED school though so that was a motivator for us. But I still had to deal with her cranky butt in the mornings.

GOOD LUCK!

Lori k

I would recommend first getting him to bed earlier...you didn't mention what his bedtime was or how old...but I've found starting with that helps. Also, try turning on a radio in his room (or if he has a TV) the noise tends to help them start processing. Light also is a big help, preferrably sunlight but as the days are getting shorter you may just have to stick to the good old overhead light. Move his jobs to night instead of morning...if he's not a morning person you are asking a lot to get anything above getting dressed...I found throwing them in the shower also tends to wake them up a little faster...it still takes awhile to get them ready but at least my kids eyes are now unglued!

Finally, set up a reward system. If he goes 3 days in a row give him a treat (McDonald's, redbox movie, whatever is your kids motivator). Another idea is to set a timer. Challenge him to beat the timer. Bottom line, if he's not ready when you are, take him to the sitters in his PJs...let the sitter know it's going to happen. Once he goes the whole day stuck in PJs and kids making fun of him, he'll probably get on board. What you need to do is stop being emotional about it and make is 1-2-3 this is what is going to happen...if you don't do it then this will happen and STICK TO YOUR GUNS!!! The power isn't in the threat, it's in the willingness to go through with it! Good luck!