Ages and Stages 10 t0 12

Gone are the days when you kid wakes up before the crack of dawn from ages 10-12. Now it takes all your morning energy just to get him/her out of bed. What's going on? The sleep patterns of preteens are different from those of adults and young children.. Their bodies' internal clocks actually tell them to fall asleep later at night and to snooze longer in the morning. (So why the heck does their school usually start earlier than your kindergartner's? Go figure!) According to Deb Lehman, in the May 2010 issue of Parenting.com magazine, below are some suggestions on how to make the morning wake-ups less of a struggle:

1. Tone down the alarm. Instead of having the alarm clock blare just in time for your child to rush out the door, set it to play his/her favorite music about 15 minutes before they have to get up. It'll help them ease into the day.

2. Give your child a good reason to get up. Bribe him/her with that sausage-and-eggs sandwich the love (their appetite is no doubt having a growth spurt, too), or arrange a morning carpool with a close buddy (friends also trump sleep at this stage).

3. Make it their responsibility. Explain that you've realize their old enough to get up on their own, so you'll call for them only once. Then stick to it. Many kids will embrace the autonomy. Others will quickly learn how much they're missing at school when they're not there on time!