I know it’s going to be a difficult morning when I go to wake Buster. Buster is the closest kid we have to a morning person. After one week of school, I’ve formed the habit of getting him up first. I start off easy and work my way up to the hard cases.
It’s Tuesday morning, after the long Labor Day weekend. Last week went all right, but now they’ve had a four-day weekend to consider things and realize they dislike school just as much as they ever did. The new year hasn’t changed the fact that “The Man” is still holding them down with classroom rules and homework.
They’ve gone for the gusto over these four days off, trying to relive the entire summer in a long weekend. It’s time to pay the piper.
Buster (2nd grade) doesn’t sit up when I put my hand on his covers. I try to rub him awake. “I can’t,” he groans. “I’m too tired.” I pull the covers off him. He pulls them back on.
I move three feet below to the lower bunk. I don’t have high hopes for waking Big Man. Big Man (Kindergarten) is sleeping upside down. This isn’t a good sign he’s well-rested and ready to face a new day. He does not respond to any of my gentle attempts to rouse him. The lower bunk is like a bear cave. I contort myself to squeeze under the upper bunk without banging my head (which I’ve already done twice in 3.5 days of school). I grab the cub’s toe and drag him out of his hole.
Leaving Big Man in the bathroom to brush his teeth, at least the front ones, I return to Buster. All the tumult in the bunk below has made it impossible for him to get any rest. His spirit is broken and he allows me to carry him to the bathroom.
It’s now time to tackle the biggest Billy goat. At least Big Brother (6th grade) doesn’t have a bunk bed, so I won’t bruise myself waking him. He is larger though, so I have to pull by booth feet to drag him from the bed.
Downstairs, I offer the little boys breakfast. Buster answers all my overtures with grunts. Big Man says he isn’t hungry, but I don’t want to send them off with empty bellies. Big Man finally condescends to accept some bread and butter. I’ve got to get these kids off and get myself to work, so I don’t have time to negotiate him into a heartier meal.
I give Buster and pad and pen. I tell him to write what he wants to eat. He doesn’t know how to sound out grunts, so he writes Nothing. It’s spelled right.
I hate to send him to school like this, but he might learn a lesson from a hungry morning. Plus, he spelled Nothing right. It’s too early in the morning not to accept the victories these kids hand me.
This one’s all ready to go. Good work, Dad!
Snoozing on the Sofa 
Ah, yes…thank for the reminder of days gone by for me. I had two daughters who wondered why God created mornings.
I’m beginning to wonder that myself. I’m not much of a morning person myself, so it’s the blind leading the blind on school mornings.
I had 4 days off. Thoroughly enjoyed it, but Wednesday was brutal. I can’t go back to getting up early. Plus, it’s dark outside in the morning now.
Yes, it’s harder to get up in the dark, but the most difficult thing with kids is getting them into bed when it’s still light outside in the evenings. So I’ll take the winter trade off.
Ohhhhh, Scott. How endearing this is. NO, I do not envy you in the least, not at all. I don’t know how my Mom did it getting so many of us up. Threats? I just don’t remember. My heart totally goes out to you “the bad guy” who won’t let his kids sleep. Bless you! A parent is the toughest job in the world. Even though my “kids” are cats, hubby will NOT be the bad guy, so the discipling and the chasing a cat who needs help falls on my shoulders. I KNOW that feeling …. God help me I don’t want to do this but I have to!! And my heart constricts cuz you know they are my kids. You relate.
Well, Amy, it’s definitely not fun getting kids ready for school, but I got myself into this mess, so I guess I’m just gonna have to deal with it. To paraphrase the saying: I made my bed and now I have to get three sleepy kids out of theirs. Best wishes with your cats. I know how much they mean to you and how lucky they are to have a person who cares for them so well.
Ah, yes, I remember it well. While the mornings were much the same as your, those bedtime rituals were the best and sweetest times.
Wow, your bedtime rituals must have been a lot better than ours, which consist of three kids inventing every imaginable excuse for not getting in the bed.
This makes me appreciate my daughter, who manages to roust herself and get to school every day by herself. She’s 18. Something for you to look forward to…only a few more years to go.
Forgive me if I don’t hold my breath waiting on these wild animal babies to grow up.
There could be some really fun creative ways to to get them out of bed in the morning. LOL
At 7 am the closest I get to fun and creative is tired and bitter.
Can’t say I don’t understand that. lol