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.

I don't think there is too much need to put moral aspects on whether you chat to your teenagers in the morning or at some other time. My Mum quite simply wasn't up to it- didn't mean we had poor communication, just that we knew better communication was to be later in the day. Would you condemn somebody who was tired in the evenings and not up to chatting to their teenagers at midnight? Are they letting their teenagers down? I had wonderful late-night talks with my Mum as I grew up. Meaningful conversations don't have to take place at 7 a.m.

I'll probably get up, just because it suits me to get up in the morning, and because dd may still need help physically (she is disabled). But it doesn't strike me as one of those things that make or mar a parent-teenager relationship. Even ds (8) is capable of fixing his own breakfast and indeed does so. Happy families have bonding things and ways of making everybody feel looked after- but they don't all have to be the same things. I'll probably still be reading dd a goodnight story when she's 13 (my Dad still read to us until we left home); but I wouldn't condemn families who bond in different ways.

Btw I don't kiss my children goodbye either. Not part of my culture.

yep- always did right up til they were 18- just wanted to see them off and say good bye.
Very occasionally if i was ill/tired, then I wouldn't but usually always.