Why does my child wake up at dawn on weekends and during school holidays? Why is he always hungry just before bedtime?
In her column, Tracy shares experiences and lessons learnt as she navigates life and grows with her two boys. To share your views email Tracy on [email protected] In her column, Tracy shares experiences and lessons learnt as she navigates life and grows with her two boys. To share your views email Tracy on [email protected]
The school holidays arrived, and while the rest of the world is relishing the idea of a lie-in, my child — without fail — is up by 6am. Religiously. Not groggy, not slow to rise, but wide awake, buzzing with energy, and ready to tip out the entire toy box before I've even rubbed the sleep from my eyes.
'Mommy! I'm awake!' he announced like it's Christmas morning.
By the time he utters the word awake, baby brother is also standing straight up in his cot, ready for the day…
And so my shift begins. This routine also seems to happen on weekends.
It's baffling. Because on school days? It's like waking a hibernating bear. Suddenly, the same child who was doing bollamakiesies (cartwheels) around the living room at sunrise a day ago is wrapped in his duvet like a burrito, moaning, 'Mommy, I'm soooo tired, I hardly slept, just a few more minutes, or can I not just stay at home?'
There's a certain dramatic flair to it too — every limb heavy, every step slow, and all the motivation of a cat in the rain.
No matter how early we go to bed, school mornings are a battle, while holidays and weekends are an Olympic sprint before sunrise.
Then there's the hunger — or, as I now call it, the bedtime buffet routine.
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