Curing Sleepyhead Syndrome

By Dr Bill Maier

“Just five more minutes, Mum, please?” How many times have you heard that from one of your “sleepyhead” school-aged kids? Mornings have become the new battle zone in a lot of houses.

But here’s one surefire way to put an end to the “getting-ready-for-school” battle. Are you ready? Let your kids get up on their own! I know, I know, you’re thinking: “But they’ll be late for school and it’ll affect their grades.” But my friend Dr Kevin Leman says it won’t take long for them to get the message!

The problem with forcing kids to get up is that it removes responsibility, and kids need to be held accountable for their actions. Tell them you’re only waking them up once, and then stick to it. The first time they oversleep, you might even call their teacher and explain your plan, and suggest an extra measure of discipline.

The first step in raising responsible kids is to let them feel the consequences of their actions. Like my friend the Marine drill sergeant says, “No pain, no gain!”

From TODAY, Voices – Tuesday, 19-May-2009

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