Why does my child wake up at dawn on weekends and during school holidays? Why is he always hungry just before bedtime?
In her column, Tracy shares experiences and lessons learnt as she navigates life and grows with her two boys. To share your views email Tracy on [email protected] In her column, Tracy shares experiences and lessons learnt as she navigates life and grows with her two boys. To share your views email Tracy on [email protected]
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The school holidays arrived, and while the rest of the world is relishing the idea of a lie-in, my child — without fail — is up by 6am. Religiously. Not groggy, not slow to rise, but wide awake, buzzing with energy, and ready to tip out the entire toy box before I’ve even rubbed the sleep from my eyes.
“Mommy! I’m awake!” he announced like it’s Christmas morning.
By the time he utters the word awake, baby brother is also standing straight up in his cot, ready for the day…
And so my shift begins. This routine also seems to happen on weekends.
It’s baffling. Because on school days? It’s like waking a hibernating bear. Suddenly, the same child who was doing bollamakiesies (cartwheels) around the living room at sunrise a day ago is wrapped in his duvet like a burrito, moaning, “Mommy, I’m soooo tired, I hardly slept, just a few more minutes, or can I not just stay at home?”
There’s a certain dramatic flair to it too — every limb heavy, every step slow, and all the motivation of a cat in the rain.
No matter how early we go to bed, school mornings are a battle, while holidays and weekends are an Olympic sprint before sunrise.
Then there’s the hunger — or, as I now call it, the bedtime buffet routine.
I've learnt to match my kids energies in the morning
Image: Moms Selfie
He can eat a full breakfast, snacks, lunch, more snacks, and a good helping of supper. But somehow, just after brushing his teeth, the hunger hits like a thunderclap.
“Mommy, I’m starving!”
"Mommy, I think I forgot to eat today."
Mommy, can I have just one more slice of toast?”
Please don't forget about the thirsty spells...
How do they know the time in their sleep? Is there a magical childhood setting in their brain that registers “no school” and sets off a 6am wake-up alarm? Do they feed off our desperate hope for a slow start? Or is it teacher telling him to wake up early tomorrow because it's weekend (just kidding teacher)
I genuinely don’t understand it — but I’ve stopped trying to figure it out.
Still, somewhere in between the early starts, the night snack demands, and the morning moans, there’s something comforting in the chaos. This is our rhythm. Loud, unpredictable, slightly exhausting… but ours.
Weekend Argus