 |
| A little more of this (past the hour of 6), is all I ask… |
Long before the sun unfurls from its slumber, and with the moon still bright in the sky, does my day start.
You see I am the mother of a son who sees nothing wrong with starting the day anywhere from about 5.10am. Which would be fine except my son has a mother who detests early mornings with all the spitfire and savagery of an angry Gladiator being sent into an arena of death.
A little strong perhaps, but you get my drift, right? And coming into winter, it is only going to get worse.
I overheard a conversation yesterday where a mother was complaining she was always running late because her young son (who looked around the age of 4) wouldn’t get out of bed. I wanted to scream (in my oh so overtired state) that I’d happily swap with her: that I was dragged into wakefulness at 5.30am that day and 6 of the 7 before it. And for the 3 years and 9 months before that. I can COUNT ON 1 HAND the amount of times Master H has slept past 8am and only 3 of those times it was because he was sick. The one remaining episode was pure chance and I was so panicked by it I had to monitor he was still breathing. Sleeping in past 7am is likely no higher than very early in the double digits range. Hell, even sleeping past 6am has only happened maybe once in the past 6 weeks. So you will see then that I am beyond tired and frustrated and really just do not want to accept the fact I am doomed to dragged from under my doona even before the suns rays filter through the sky.
There are many tactics we’ve undertaken to combat this, but none as yet have done the trick. Not even shutting the door, as I found out the hard way, when I ignored his pleas by burying my head under the mountain of pillows and later discovered he’d been asking to be let out to go to the toilet… (Mother of the Year, I know…)
I’ve tried putting him to bed later in the hope he’ll make it up for it in the morn – all that avails is an even tired, crankier boy as his body clock set in such a way Greewich Mean Time could employ him as an official time keeper.
I’ve tried putting him to bed earlier, but once his sleep quota is reached he is quite literally bouncing off the walls and raring to get the day underway (clearly a trait not inherited from me) .
If it is simply an inherited gene (his Grandpa is well known for his extremely early rising tendencies) do I just need to shut up and put up until he is old enough to be trusted alone to get his own breakfast and master the TV remote? Or do I continue to fight this seemingly un-winnable battle?
So now is the time I turn it over to you, wise family and friends who are reading this. Share with me please what has worked for you. Just to get to 6am would be a divine start – I’ll then aim for something even more reasonable, like 6.45am in good time.
I am so happy at the moment because Miss 3 is sleeping til 7.10! OMG! It’s a miracle and I appreciate every bit of it. Her usual time is anywhere between 6 and 6.30…
I have no answers, just empathy. My 5yo has slept past 7am less than a handful of times. And the latest she has EVER slept is 7.15am.
Up until a few months ago she got up around 5 to 5.30am, she’s now sleeping a little later (around 6am).
My 8 month old looks like he’s following in her footsteps.
My middle girl sleeps until about 6.30 which is a treat compared to the other two.
GOod luck! IF you find an answer let me know.
I have no answers, just empathy. My 5yo has slept past 7am less than a handful of times. And the latest she has EVER slept is 7.15am.
Up until a few months ago she got up around 5 to 5.30am, she’s now sleeping a little later (around 6am).
My 8 month old looks like he’s following in her footsteps.
My middle girl sleeps until about 6.30 which is a treat compared to the other two.
GOod luck! IF you find an answer let me know.
Keen to know too. 2yo is regularly up at 5 am and 4 yo ‘sleeps in’ until 6am. Pass the matchsticks for my eyelids pls.
I have a child who wakes between 1 and 3 am most nights.
Our rule is he is not allowed out of his room until it is light outside.
Really sucks in summer.
(I must say that this worked for years, but not any more 🙁 )
Oh gosh you poor thing. Mine was like that for a long time as a baby and then would usually always rise between 6-6.45. He has only started sleeping until 7 or later since we cut out day sleeps and put him to bed around 7.30-8pm instead of 7. Hope you get somewhere with it soon. Sleep deprivation is a killer. x