I just dished out some tough love to DS, now I feel unreasonable...........

[Wormshuffler]

DS has just gone into year 6, and like most children has to be nagged to school on time. At the end of last term I said he would be responsible for himself when he got to year 6 and if he was late there would be a consequence.
We get to this morning, and I remind him that he is in charge of getting himself up, washed, dressed breakfasted and out the door in time to get there for the whistle blowing, the consequence of being late being an electricity ban tonight (ie no television/playstation etc)
So it gets to 8.40 and there he is sat merrily watching filious and ferb until that finishes and he checks the time. "what the?!" being exclaimed as the penny drops!
So we wander to school, him still feeling no urgency to rush and get to the school just in time to hear the whistle go, the gate was already locked meaning he is officially late. I explain he knew the deal, and now will have no electricity, so he goes into school crying on the first day :( now I feel awful..............So come on ladies what do you reckon unreasonable?

Yes 10/11 exotic you are so right about the mother in law thing too! He is merrily playing on his PS3 now for an hour, until I drop the bombshell he will need to do an 11+ practise paper tonight............bless him, it's not easy being a kid ey?
I'm glad I have inspired a few of you, and will drop back in a month or so for a progress update. Not so bothered that I have appalled some, as I still feel I did the right thing and don't even feel a little bit unreasonable anymore.

Let it go! let it all gooooo.... once he's in secondary school natural justice will prevail and he (not you) will get bollocked for being late and after a while he will take responsibility for ensuring it doesn't happen. I wake my eldest 2 up and then it's up to them to get themselve up, fed, dressed and out the door. I might deign to help find something if they ask very nicely

I cannot understand why there is any need for TV in the mornings tbh.

But no, in general I think YANBU - he needs to learn

My tip for secondary school is that you start, from day one, making them pack their own bag the night before so that you don't get wails of 'I can't find my shin pads' 2 minutes before they have to go out for the bus.

you are teaching him a skill . be on time . I hate being late for anything .

I'd call that success

3 weeks in and not been late once :)

I'm a bit shocked at the amount of posters who say they still chivvy secondary school aged children to get them to school on time! Barring SN, any secondary age child should be able to do this.

YANBU. You told him what he had to do and what the consequences of not doing it would be. You haven't done when he would be starting a new school - that would be harsh.

I think you are right to spend this year getting him prepared for secondary school and thus taking more responsibility. The only thing I would ask is whether you ahve gone through with him rough times he needs to keep in his head for when he has to have done something by to be ready on time.

Just sometimes as adults it is easy to forget that things like this are skills and are not necessarily magically learnt and so he amy need guidance before the morning. But you shouldn't chivvy him.