25 Sep, 2007
When it’s time to wake up
Posted by andrea tomkins in: Easy ways to make kids happy|parenting
So I’m walking to the gym this morning, and who do I see sitting on the park bench? Silken Laumann.
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Emma has no trouble getting out of bed. She practically leaps out from under the covers. She’s inherited this from her grandfather. I know it.
Sarah is a whole different case. She is not so easily woken and tends to be grouch when it’s time to get up. Last year I’d stick my head in her room and ask her to wake up, and if that didn’t work (did it ever work?) I’d resort to nudging, then shaking an arm, then two, then a leg, and then, as a very last resort, I’d yank the covers off.
She didn’t like that very much.
I have developed a whole new tactic. And it works every time. Parents, take note!
First, I climb into bed with her and get under the covers. Then I purr. Then I meow quietly. And then I rub my face against hers, meow some more, and pretend to wash her face with noisy slurping sounds. She wakes up laughing and meowing, pretending to be a baby kitten. For some reason it really cracks her up if I put my face directly in front of hers – nose to nose – and say “meow” with a total deadpan expression.
Not only is she awake by this point, but she’s smiling and HAPPY! Now if only I could find a way for her to get dressed a little faster.
