To think 6 is old enough to not need me or DH to get up at 6am with ds!

[cupcake78]

DS is a early riser. He always has been and tends to wake up like hes been plugged in! Very refreshed (unfortunately). This alone pisses me off. I dont do mornings, I hate them and am very very grumpy.

Once again I find myself sat with ds watching kids tv all because he refuses to come downstairs on his own. He is very capable, knows how the tv works and can get his own breakfast but he's having none of it.

I have tried for years to stop this but nothing has worked and now we have dd (5 months) I will do anything to keep dh and her asleep. DS makes such a fuss he wakes everyone up and then no body can get back to sleep.

Dh and I take turns but I am getting annoyed with ds for being so useless! We've been up with dd 3 times last night. She is a baby afterall this is what happens.

DS woke at 5.30. I think his sister probably woke him up. Its usually 6ish. He went back to his room for all of 15 minutes and then the huffing puffing and stomping began. I'd just got dd back to sleep. Dh was up at 3 with her and sunday is his lie in day. He came in with me for 4 minutes but the fake coughing, wriggling and general movement and noise was becoming too much.

Told him to come down on his own and the moaning started.

So hear I am again! Sat up while ds watches rubbish on tv and all I want is my bed! DD is still asleep for now at least I do not want to be here. I am trying to see it as abit of me time. Time to mumsnet etc but I bloody hate mornings especially when I'm tired, its dark and its cold.

I dont think he needs anyone up with him just to watch the bloody tv.

The body - also important to pick battles. And establish what is a 'need' and what is a 'want'.
I say this as a parent who has struggled with ds sleeping since birth, he is now 5. We are very strict where necessary, but some things are grey areas- I'm not sure how much is the night sleeping is a deep rooted fear and I'm not prepared to risk making it worse by being too strict about that. I'd rather give ds the benefit of the doubt, as I would with anyone I care about, child or adult.

However I believe the morning thing should be able to be sorted by now, both for my ds and the op's. this has spurred me on to set some rules for weekend mornings and see how he goes. Or maybe just one weekend morning to start with. We'll see!
Good luck too, OP.

anyway op as they get older it's getting them out of bed that's the problem.

dss 23 and 23 went out on the razzle last night. in at stupid O clock and now green.

still it's sweet revenge for all those sleepless nights and early starts to need to vaccine at 10am on a Sunday morning.

I'd tell him that be couldn't come out of his room until 7am, if he wakes earlier he's to get a book, story tape riot and stay in bed. Any deviation results in no Telly or whatever. You might find he sleeps a bit longer when he realises he's not getting his own way, ds certainly did!

Neither my 8 year old or my (nearly) 6 year old would be happy going downstairs by themselves (or being upstairs by themselves). I was the same as a child, so have never questioned it.

First one up gets into bed with us and waits for the second - then they go down together. We go back to sleep and join them at 8. They also have a clock radio in their room and know not to come in to us til 6am (we have an 80% success rate with this).

Riot = toy, in my last post

Our eldest went downstairs on her own by 4 to watch telly. Very sensible girl and a very early riser. I didn't want to do the 5,30 shifts anymore so didn't and that was now years ago. There is always someone else downstairs by 6.15 for breakfast (usually DH, but occasionally me). The whole family is downstairs by 7.

I tell my kids anytime before 7 am is night time and will be treated as such...so STAY in bed!

My dc have always woken early, from about the same age as yours they got own breakfast.
Plastic cereal bowls left out and jug of milk in fridge.
I don't think its fair to leave them for hours as if an only they would be so bored without company and I'd also be scared they may hurt themselves. Up to an hour seems ok though if they are watching tv.

Ha ha ha about "just stay in bed". If i had my other two first i would have believed you! The love a snooze, eldest didn't from the day she arrived and still doesn't on the cusp of teenagedom. I am awaiting the irony of waking her up for the next few years.

I was trained by my parents to know what 8am was on the click at weekends and could play in my room until then. I wasn't allowed downstairs or to disturb them. I did the same with my daughter.

Secondly, if your child always wakes early they need less think than you think they do so maybe consider increasing the hour they go to bed at.