Child sleep habits: explain please
Categories: Development
When my daughter has to go to school, I must wake
her up at 7:30am each morning. I have to start by slowly turning on her light and telling her 'Five more minutes'. Then
I pull the blankets off her and say, "Three more minutes." Finally I pull her from the bed as she claims to be
"So....tired....." she's going to die. So explain to me why, since we're on midwinter break this week (again, could someone explain the point of midwinter break? Be honest, it's to make me insane isn't it?), why she's woken up at 6 o'clock each morning ready to get going on her day.
Each morning I've stared at her, incredulously, when she comes to my bed to ask if she can get up now. "You can," I tell her. "But know that I will never believe you when you tell me you're 'too tired' to get up on school days ever again."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
AJ 2-22-2006 @ 1:01PM
Sounds like your daughter knows how far she can push her boundaries with you. Don't let her push.
The first time you enter the room, tell her to get up, and let her know the next time you visit the room, you'll be getting her up. On the second visit, bust open her door, shout, "She's nonresponsive and trapped under her covers. Quick, use the Jaws of Life!" and then extricate her from the bed.
Sure, she'll throw a fit the first few times, but then she'll come to understand her new boundaries and have a better morning routine.
That said, the 6 to 7:30 a.m. difference is probably due to a change in daily routine between holiday and school day. Even if bedtime remains the same, stress levels will differ, possibly affecting the amount of sleep required.
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MelissaS 2-22-2006 @ 1:48PM
You're probably right about the disruption in habits changing her wake up time. But the other stuff?
I don't care if I have to slowly wake her up. I don't think it's a boundary issue, it's that she comes from a long line of people who love their bed. I certainly hit snooze 3-4 times before I get up, why would I expect something different from her.
Besides, I didn't ask for advice on how to get her up for school in the morning. ;-)
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momma2mingbu 2-22-2006 @ 3:23PM
Are you on a traditional school schedule or a year-round one? My oldest is at a year-round school and we really like that schedule.
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Kizz 2-22-2006 @ 3:46PM
I'm not a mom and I'm certainly no expert but if Madison is anything like me it's harder to get to sleep on a night before school. There's stuff to be anxious about, stuff that you're not sure will go well, stuff that might go REALLY well. So we don't sleep all that well. Night before another day of vacation projects with mom there are few surprises, just ready to hit the hay and sleep fast so you can get started on MORE!
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S 2-22-2006 @ 4:02PM
NO KIDDING!!! My girls (almost-seven and nearly-nine) do the SAME THING!! And the kicker for me? They don't have a "bedtime" on non-school nights. They have to be in their room by nine, but they don't have to turn their light out until THEY decide to do so. Last night, PunkinPie (the nearly-nine year old) was up till a little past ten, yet there she was, up and at 'em, at seven this morning. We ask them what the deal is with that and they have no answer. I'm with you, though - you can't pull that crap on vacations and weekends and expect me to buy that you can't function before eight o'clock on school days. Mamma's just not buyin' it.
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MelissaS 2-22-2006 @ 4:15PM
If I were president I would mandate year round school starting at like, 3.
I'm mostly kidding.
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momma2mingbu 2-22-2006 @ 4:40PM
Our schedule is basically 9 weeks on and then 3 weeks off. They only get 2 weeks at Christmas and they get about 5 weeks in the summer. The more frequent breaks are good because they don't forget as much and they don't get burnt out. BUT the problem I see with it so far is that it's hard to establish and maintain a routine with so many vacations.
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Stacey 2-22-2006 @ 10:32PM
I'm so glad to hear it's not just my kids! My 8 year old's schedule: School days, Alarm goes off at 7am, get up (by force and threat of bodily harm) around 7:15 am (I don't actually harm her mind you!)Act like being awake is akin to some evil torture.
BUT Weekends, when there is no real reason to be up before 9, she's up with the frickin chickens!!! The only whining about having to get up so "early" is from me and my husband!
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margalit 2-23-2006 @ 2:11AM
The reason for midwinter break goes back to the 70's when we were going through the first oil crisis. Remember those long gas lines? Well, local governments decided that during the coldest week of the year, it would be prudent to call off school and keep the buildings closed in order to save money on fuel oil. And it's continued ever since.
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