Getting up on time for school!

You and your family have savored that extra hour in bed during the vacations! But now, the end of the holiday season and the reopening of school looms! And a sinking feeling in the pit of the stomach has appeared.
We can never say that we have you covered, but we do have tips to help you negotiate through a tough time.

Start Early

It is never too early to plan out your strategies. It will take your child and you at least a week, if not more, to adjust to the changed scheduled. Your child will have to get up early, get ready and be packed off to school all within a stipulated time and the responsibility is entirely yours. Wake up the child, help him get ready. Prepare her breakfast, make sure she eats enough of it and pack some snack/lunch for him to eat at school. You are acutely conscious that you need to get to work to and to top it all, there are dozens of household chores demanding attention.

Get the whole household involved

Set up a family meeting to establish a new sleep schedule and get everyone involved. Instead of telling your child (age appropriate, of course) outline the problem and ask for solutions. Discussing it will force the child to think and contribute. Do not belittle the child’s contributions.
Explain the need for and the benefits of adequate sleep.

Start the night before

Early dinner, stop all electronic media, switch off lights, go through your bedtime routine 10 minutes earlier every night. If there is a late evening activity outside your home, forgo the action. Spending time with the family is far more valuable than another class. Your child will not go to sleep according to the clock. He needs adequate time to prepare for bed. It is not a switch that can be turned off in a jiffy.

Wake up your child early

Whether it is a hug, a peck on the cheek, a gentle prod or an alarm clock. Get him up ten minutes earlier every day. You may need to help the child get ready a bit more than what she is used to till your new schedule has been established.
Rinse and repeat advancing the going to sleep time and the getting up time by ten minutes every 2-3 days till you reach your target.
Getting up on time is a goal that can only be achieved a few steps at a time.

Make your preparations too

1. Prepare the child’s bed early.
2. Plan the meals that you have to provide for well in advance and use these days before the school reopening to build up a formidable array of partly/fully prepared dishes that you can store in the freezer. No, the freezer is not to be condemned. A fridge or freezer is excellent if used correctly (Label your foods with dates clearly).
3. Plan out the clothes for your child.

Reward your child for falling in line

Encouragement and praise is the biggest elixir for the younger child. It is required for your teenager too even though she may not admit it.
Old fashioned bribery – shop for new stuff for the upcoming school year – the uniform, the books can be linked to targets reached on getting up and about in time. Getting up on time is an achievement for your child. Applaud it. If you have forgotten how difficult you were, just ask your parents!

When your child gets to school the first few days by getting up on time, you would have earned your bragging rights. Don’t just brag. Help your friends out too. Share this with your friends.

I am sure that all you experienced Moms and Dad’s have plenty of tricks up your sleeve! Please feel free to contribute in the comments section below. If we feel they can be universally implemented, we will be glad to include them in the article itself.

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