Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Got Ealry Morning Risers?





I'm writing this at 5:52am. The smell of peppermint boiling on the stove and granola in the oven fills the air in my home. I'm also listening to A1, A2, and A3 talk and be silly all in 1 bed. They've been up for about 30 minutes. That's late. Most would agree that this is super early! I've even gotten comments like "I don't ever let my kids get up that early". Okay, last time I checked, you can't MAKE someone fall asleep. You can make them stay in their bed, but not stay asleep.

A good friend of mine has 3 kids, and 1 is a newborn so I'm not really gonna count him. Her other 2 have been known to wake up at 4:30am on a regular basis. I have been there! They start yelling "I"M AWAKE" through the monitor, or they walk ever-so-sweetly into your room and tell you they're ready to wake up. Her oldest has now gotten to where she'll go straight to the living room and turn on the t.v. without waking up mom. That's good parenting right there!  Her kids also go to bed at 7pm; sometimes even 6:30. There's the trade-off. But I also remember trying to keep mine up later so they'd sleep later. Yeah, that doesn't work with littles.

I do remember waking up before I intended to snuggle on the couch and watch t.v. with my babes. It was frustrating at times. All I wanted to do was sleep! I looked at every possible reason why they were waking up early. Did they need to go pee and just couldn't fall back asleep? Maybe they were hungry. I should feed them a snack before bed! Move bedtime later? No, we already went over that. I've always been a morning person, not 4:30 in the morning, but nonetheless. <---Maybe it's genetic. I looked at our days. Was there anything I could change to make them sleep later?

Most of the children I know who wake up super early have moms who stay home with them all day. MOST, not ALL. Most of the moms I know who stay home all day are extremely active with their kids. They do crafts, play games, go on field trips, and get messy. They have a lot of fun!

So, the prognosis? LISTEN UP MOMMAS! You make the days so fun for your sweet ones that they just can't wait to get up and get started! That's it! It's because of you, and they absolutely LOVE it! My almost 7 year old still comes out to the living room at 5am and is dressed and ready to go out to start farm chores. She loves it! She can't wait to get started! Even before dawn! YOUR kids are the same way. If they are little they may have a hard time telling you why they're up so early, but now you know. Keep making their days memorable by continuing to do what you do. But now, know that those early mornings are creating memories too.

And just a tip from someone whose been there: if you can get up earlier than your kids, it may not take you so long to get going. Not to mention they LOVE being greeted by a mommy lap awaiting.

Keep on mommas!


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