Back to School: Waking Up Is Hard To Do
Getting your teen out the door and at school on time can be a struggle. Especially if they have been sleeping in for most of the summer. So how do you help them adjust to the new school year?
- Sit down with your teen and brainstorm a plan for their morning routine. Draw it out on paper to make it visible. How much time do they need to get ready? Think about bus times or commute times, etc. Think about the little things. What should their first action be? Splash water on their face? Drink water? Brush their teeth? Brushing your teeth is a great first action step in the morning. The mint tends to be refreshing.
- Start waking up early NOW! Try setting an alarm and establishing the routine two weeks in advance of the first day of school. Before school starts is the best time to perfect your morning routine.
- How will your teen know when to get up? Parents are not the alarm clock! Do they set an alarm on their phone? Phones have their own alarms but some students I work with like to use apps like Alarmy which have you complete an action before the alarm will go off. This can be either stressful or helpful. Another thing I have seen teenagers do is place their phone somewhere where they have to get up to turn it off rather than right beside their bed where they are more liable to hit snooze multiple times.
- Put an analog clock in the bathroom. Yes, the bathroom! Teenagers need to have time made visible to them. This is the perfect way. Especially, if you have a teen who takes a while to get ready in the morning. This way time will be staring at them.
- Make getting up in the morning fun or at least something that is not dreaded. A simple smile and a “good morning” can go a long way.
- Post some fun motivational and inspirational quotes and/ or pictures in your teen’s bathroom. They will see these positive things when they wake up. I have actually taped a couple of inspiring fortunes I received from fortune cookies to my bathroom mirror. Whatever helps!
