What does your 7 year old do when they wake up?

[luckysdadsway]

DC has always been a terrible sleeper, it's only in the last year or so I've got them to fall asleep on their own.

We've got this awful habit since they were little that before they've even opened their eyes in the morning they screech 'Mummmmmmy' in this awful pitch. It wakes everyone up and it'll start from 5am ish. Sometimes they'll nod back off if I don't go immediately but then 10 mins later it starts again. Once I go in, say morning etc they are happy if I say I'm going back to bed for a little while.

I'm just wondering what other kids do, and if it at this age it's too much to expect them to wake up and look at the clock and stay in their room/amuse themselves without the need to alter the whole house they are awake?

I have a younger child who is a baby and not as much of an early riser and it's waking them up as well when they aren't necessarily ready which makes them grumpy etc.

I'm sorry, I probably sound like a dragon! Even if they tip toed into our room to say morning it would be better than the screeching. Am I going to be a terrible mother if I try and encourage them to stop?

No I wouldn't be having this at all.
My dd wakes up and knows if it is before 6.45 she is to play in her room or read. She keeps books in bed for this purpose !
If it is the weekend she knows she can get her tablet from our room at 7am.
If it's a school day she starts getting dressed etc at 6.45 and I will usually go in to her to say good morning.

Very definitely old enough to change that routine! Talk to them. Set up a reward chart for a new toy if they do it for a week (even a weekend tbh).
My eight year old tends to wake up first, she reads until my acceptable-for-household-to-get-up time (7am) and then comes and knocks on my door then goes and gets the six year old up. The six year old, with autism and global developmental delay, has her own clock and knows we are not disrespectful with noise in the night (before 7am). If either of them need me they come and get me quietly.

Definitely encourage them to stop! My 6yo wakes up and checks the time. If it starts with a 5, he tries to go back to sleep. If it starts with a 6, he either reads in bed or gets up and plays with toys in his room. When DD was a similar age, she would go downstairs and put the TV on. We used a gro-clock before they could tell the time.

I would bribe heavily to change that morning routine, especially when it is disturbing your youngest.

We have a more advanced version of a groclock that gives a colour change about ten mins before DS is allowed to start getting up. Until then it’s reading quietly in his room.

Thank you everyone, that's really helpful. We have a Yoto player in their room so they are aware of the time. I think I'll try what PP said about bribery with a new toy and see how we go!

It's the sort of thing that's insanely annoying when it happens and then I get on with my day, until the next morning when it happens again and I think i really must nip this in the bud!

Mine jumps straight into my bed for cuddles before trying to tempt me out of bed by suggesting a cuppa in the garden.

DS 6 has a gro clock and if he wakes up before that turns yellow he'll go to the toilet, go back to bed with a book or put his yoto on quietly (volume is limited until 8). Once it gets to sun up time he's either engaged in what he's reading or he'll come in and quietly poke his head round the door if we're awake he'll come in for a cuddle if we're not he goes back to his room.
A 7 year old screaming for any reason other than because they've hurt themselves is not ok and they are more than old enough to understand that.

At that age mine woke me up and it was awful. They had to be trained not to. The screeching that must set you on edge needs a sanction though.

My 6 year old stays in her room until 7 - she has a clock on the wall. But before she could tell time she had a gro clock thingy that went yellow at 7am, and she knew she had to stay in her room until then.

She’s perfectly happy, she generally reads or does a jigsaw.

We have a Yoto too and in the app, you can set it to change colour at certain times. (If it’s pushed on its side in nightlight mode).

my daughter has known not to get up if the light hadn’t turned blue yet since she was 3 or 4

I bribed her with a reward chart. Stay in bed for 7 whole days til the Yoto turned blue and I’ll get you <insert small toy here>

Took a bit of reminding, then she got the idea

My 5 year old gets dressed and makes himself breakfast downstairs. The 2 year old sits and plays with the toys in her cot.