Before I begin, I should say that this was never intended as a stand alone post but as I was merrily typing away in Tara Cain's comment box after reading about her own little madams sleep issues, I realised that I had in fact produced an essay on my own plight! So to spare all of her readers the agony of a page long comment - I thought that I would inflict it on you all instead... because you are supposed to be interested in what I have to say... right? (this is where you leave a comment to say...."I love reading about your life / loves / disasters / traumas etc.." do add or delete there as necessary.
Right... for you to fully understand what it is I am going on about I suggest that you read Tara's post here, but don't forget to come back!
At one point we were talking six assemblies in a row.It got so bad that they have to put her on the end of a row to catch her as she naps. And if that wasn't bad enough, she even fell asleep during their big Easter assembly..... in church!
She goes to bed early (always by 7pm, or earlier) but when she wakes it generally has a 5 in front of it. Yes FunnyGirl is not so funny - she is a true morning person. I on the other hand, am a night owl.
We have tried keeping her up later in the evening but there is no stopping her. When she wants to sleep - she sleeps. In fact you can be having a conversation with her, turn away for a minute and then she is sparko! One of ModelGirl and TotallySonny's favourite family tales is of the time that she fell asleep whilst having lunch at a pizza restaurant. I was wedged between the girls and turned to one side to help ModelGirl cut something on her plate, when I turned back a moment later there she was head first in her hot pizza, out like a light!
Six years of early mornings really do take their toll. We've tried all kinds of things - but nothing's worked. We gave her a Gro-Clock and a strict set of instructions on acceptable parental waking times.
She thought this amusing and we realised for the first time that it wasn't her fault that she wakes early - as before Gro-Clock she hadn't been aware of what time it was. It was simply the time that her internal clock said GO FORTH AND WAKE THE WORLD in big bold capital letters with bells and whistles attached.
Then we decided on a damage limitation policy. We let her have a TV in her room. Yes I know TV is evil but so am I after five years of having to get up when I should quite frankly just be going to bed. Her TV only has DVD playing capabilities and she, being a child of the modern age could teach any adult how it all works with ease.
Only that didn't really work either because she liked to turn it up loud enough to not only wake us - but also everyone in the house next door (we are detached).
Next we tried an assigned box of toys but she was falling asleep before she got to choose which box she wanted and I always got it wrong.....
She recently turned six and is now in her second year at primary school. She's a bright, active child - who despite what our GP assured me has not grown out of falling asleep anywhere and everywhere or waking at are-you-kidding-me O'Clock.
I would love to know your thoughts on this.
Do you think that it's better to get your kids off to bed early, and for them to wake early - but giving you an evening to yourself? or
To let them stay up later (giving you little or no, me / us time), so that you don't have to get up so early in the mornings?
I know that there isn't an answer for us, other than accepting that those random pre-dawn one to one, single child conversations can actually be all you need to get you through the day.
Thanks to Tara Cain for being the inspiration for this post... don't you know that pink hair is in?
