Would you get up in the morning specifically to be around when your teenagers get ready for school?

[tigermoth]

If you didn't need to get up for any other reason, would you get up early to see off your teenagers on school days?

As I go out to work, I don't have the luxury of choice over this matter - I have to get up anyway.

But for SAHMs in particular, as teenagers are in theory old enough to sort out their clothes, get washed, get their own breakfast, pack their bags etc do you still feel impelled to be there to help organise them and/or keep them company - even if being a doormat is not your style?

I cannot imagine not getting up to see off my 14 year old ds (and help him start his day in an organised way). FWIW I consider it my duty as a parent to do this (at present anyway - may change my mind in a few years). My ds would hate it if I was not around in the mornings. I would feel I was neglecting him big time.

But strictly speaking, it is not necessary, is it? Just curious what other people do and feel about this.

however there are often times i am up and out as ty are getting up - so they have to sort themselves out.

you do't get much interaction from my two

one is straigtening her hair and applyin gcopious amounts of eyeliner

whilst my boy is under the hairdryer and doing that preteding to look
for stuff thing that they do.

DS1's peace will come to an end come September - DS2 will be joining him at secondary, and therefore will be up earlier every morning.

In fact I will put in an advance order for a piffleboy mark 2 - that seems the kind of child I could live with

3 more years and they are out on their arse

Custy - I'll believe it when I see it!

Your kids will still be there when they are 30! You're too much fun - they'll never want to leave

My two are still too small (dd hasn't started school yet, bless)
But I can't imagine not getting up ... If I wasn't working I could always go back to bed couldn't I?
My mum was always up ... we made our own breakfast but she always had a huge pot of tea on the go ...

My dd is only 7 months so too young for me to do this yet but my mum was always there for me and I loved it.

It didn't matter weather she did anything for me or not, the point was she was there. If I didn't want to speak, we didn't, but she was always there.

I couldn't imagine not doing that for my dd.

Teenagers in the mornings are urgh! they feel urgh! they greet you witn an ill tempered 'urgh' and respond to all attempts at conversation with 'urgh'

Why do you want to be there when they obviously don't want you to be??

dd's much nicer at the witching hour when she's something like awake and bored of the computer

I don't have teenagers yet, but I do remember loving it when I had the mornings to myself to get ready for school. An empty house was bliss to me as a teenager. Loved both coming home to and leaving an empty house.

I have 2 dd's who sleep till around 7.30am/8am but the ds's need to be up around 6.30am for school.

I always get up with them so we can have a blether before they go to school.They would probably be ok going on their own but i don't see much of my eldest these days and it's nice to get a kiss goodbye from them in the morning.

I couldn't imagine not seeing them off with a kiss & a hug- but then there will come a time when they don't want it but I still will

I was the same as FairyMum. My Mum went to work when I was a teen and there were mornings when I started later than my brothers- bliss!
Mum and I not being morning persons I don't think either of us would have enjoyed any kissing goodbye anyway. The house rule was 'you don't speak to your mother first thing in the morning'. But she was great fun at night

I couldn,t imagine not getting up before them tbh, like to have a chat, make sure they have a decent breakfast, see them off safely, etc.

However, I have a friend who doesn't get up with hers, and has said she won't be "used" by her kids to make their breakfast etc. when they are capable of doing their own. (14 and 11) She told DD from the beginning of year 7 not to expect her to be in on a lunchtime (she is a SAHM) if she wanted to come home - again, she said she didn't want to be "used". I found this a very strange attitude - as a previous poster said, I like to be there, whether they choose to communicate with me or not, I don't class mealtimes as being "used", if I think they are taking me for granted in any way I will say so!!

I pretty much always get up for mine. Of course it's not strictly necessary, but I think it helps them to feel appreciated.

I don't have teenagers yet, but I think it is a good thing to be around, even if they only grunt at you. Who knows 10 years time I may have a different opinion.

I always get up with mine, and run their bath for them!!!!

we always bath in the mornings, house to hectic in the evenings, so I am up at 6.45 waking them, and then they get themselves sorted with me rushing about with the smaller ones and we all muddle along together, with some shouting when I find that boys have cut the bristles off hairbrushes etc

this morning I was even washing the girls hair for them as DD1 is it plaster with a broken wrist and thumb, DD2 was at scouts ast night until 10pm and smells of campfires, and DD3 was there so she got washed too!!!

my elder two do always sort out their breakfasts tho as at that time I am normally fighting DS2 into his school uniform.

I cannot imagine never gettting up with them TBH.......I like to always make sure they go off with a kiss and hug, so at least they feel as tho they have started the day on a positive note

this morning i got up ironed a uniform told ds to get breakfast. opened DD's door to see if she was up - she was up and dressed and gave me a dirty look ( a carry on from last nights argument) gave ds a pen (quell surprize) DS begged to stay off school as he had to sleep on the floor - i said no - get gone.

but it is at least 2 times a week when they aort themselves out.

my dd proved me completely wrong this am and though I don't work on Fridays I had to be up to take the car in for a service...

dd - brings me tea and breakfast at 7.45 and entertains the wee one whilst I get ready and do my habitual faffing!! (sorry dd for my unjust 'urgh!' comments!! )

If I didn't get up and kick ds(12) out of bed, he'd stay there all day. I just like to check that he's had breakfast, got money for lunch, or I make it for him, that he's got all he needs for school and that he has cleaned his teeth! We have this down to a fine art, up at 0730 and we're out waiting for the school bus at 0755/0800.

He is not an organised child, despite my best efforts, so this is the only way it all gets done in the morning. I like to know that he's OK as he goes, and I meet him off the bus when he comes home. I expect that I'll carry on doing this, as I'll have to ensure he's on the bus when he gets older and thinks that skiving might be amusing!

hmmm - I wonder if he'll let you meet him off the bus when he's a teenager?

babiewabbit (16) says she thinks there's no way you'll be doing this (next week year!!! )

scaryteacher, I'm slightly surprised he doesn't get ribbed for having his mum at the bus stop at that age. Mine don't go by bus but I did for primary school and remember around year 4 or 5 it got very uncool to have a parent there. Times change I guess.