Handy-Mamma Tip: Wake Easy

My 5-yr old started school last week, which begins promptly at 9:00am each morning.  For our family, this is a dramatic change from the sleeping-in, lounging mornings we have enjoyed all summer, where 10:00am is the crack of dawn.

On his first day, I tried to wake him at 8:00am, and he balked, hissed, batted and generally IGNORED my attempts to coax him gently out of bed. So, drawing from my infinite well of patience, I successfully motivated him by YELLING and threatening to throw away his new Star Wars Legos.  This did have the intended effect, and soon his teeth were brushed, his belly was filled, and we were on our way to school.  I'm such a good mom. 

However, the rough edge to the morning lingered with me, leaving a slightly bitter aftertaste all day.  Thus,  I was more than relieved to see, at the end of school that day, that the memories of threats and negativity were all but forgotten, replaced by the joy of the first day of school with his best friend.

The two boys were talking excitedly in the carpool on the way home about every single thing they had done, and I realized half-way through that I should have been recording this melody of giggling and sweet, childish voices.  So I thrust my iPhone (using the Voice Memo app) in front of them and asked them to tell me again, everything they had been saying....

FREEZE.  Few children, or adults for that matter, can ignore a camera or microphone.  The boys stared at the phone, suddenly shy and blank, but after some leading questions and friendly prompting, they started back into their narration of the day. We recorded about 4 minutes of conversation, which has proven to be one of my most valuable tools in my morning arsenal.

I noticed, as can be expected, that the boys LOVE to listen to their recording, and ask to listen to it over and over and over (times a million), as only kids can.  They laugh hysterically every time, their short-term memories obviously blind to the mind-numbing redundancy that we adults find so tormenting.

But, in this audio recording, salvation is delivered every morning.

Rewind to that first day of school, pulling my hair out trying to rouse my son from a dead sleep.  That battle is history.  Now, instead of using my voice or an alarm, I play that audio clip.  He starts smiling before he even opens his eyes, then starts to laugh out loud.  He, OF COURSE, wants to listen to it a second time, which he gets to do only after his teeth are brushed and he's ready for school.  Works like a CHARM!!