How do children make it onto school buses? Help

[kalanamak]

Kiddo had a three course breakfast (he is very skinny and ate a full, late dinner), a brushing and flossing, 20 minutes on the pot, and is now washing his hands for a second time "to make sure" (I was recently down with the N/V bug). This has taken an hour and 15 minutes, with 15 more for dressing and making bed.

 

His dad has the same disease, and gets him up *very* leisurely M-F. What would you do to make his day get going when his dad isn't in charge?

[LittleIzumi]

I think I would set a timer. Brushing teeth--when it dings, you're done. Getting dressed--when it dings, anything not on you, I pick & put on you myself right now, no complaints. (I'd pick something weird-looking the first time or two, too :tongue_smilie:.) Breakfast--when it dings, he's done. Maybe let him chew on an apple while he works if he's really still hungry. Etc.

[m0mmaBuck]

When DS was in PS, he had to be at the bus stop at 8:25. I would wake him at 7:30. He would spend 10 minutes staring into space, 10 getting dressed (in clothes he had picked the night before), 20 eating, another 10 on hygeine, and then out the door with the back pack I had packed and set by the door the night before. I would set a timer for a 1-minute warning at which time I would intervene in whatever activity he was currently undertaking if it looked like he wasn't moving along.

 

My husband and both boys have the same disease of which you speak. I am up and at the gym before 6:00 every day. I get home between 7:30 and 8:00 to make sure that DSS is out the door for school on time. I wake DS and DH and they stumble about the house for 30-60 minutes before actually doing anything productive unless directed to do so by me. It will take DH 2 hrs to get up and out the door unless "advised" and both of his boys are the same.

 

DD and I can be up, eat, shower, dressed and out the door in 30 minutes or less if need be. If there is no time for a shower or food, 15 mins or less.

[Mejane]

No advice, but I'll admit this is one of the reasons I hs my son. The kid would never make it onto a bus at 7am. :glare:

[nikkistone]

My boys are currently in PS (we'll start HSing in the fall). I blurt out how many more minutes total they have before they need to leave for the bus. Breakfast is their last step before leaving for school. If they don't get a chance to eat breakfast because they took too long getting ready, then that's their problem. I give them a warning when I think they should be headed for the breakfast table to give them ample time to eat. Sometimes they make it down in time to eat, sometimes they don't. But it's taken the battle out of it.

 

It's purely them vs the clock rather than them vs me.

 

I've also threatened to make them walk if they miss the bus!! :ohmy:

[Jennifer3141]

No advice, but I'll admit this is one of the reasons I hs my son. The kid would never make it onto a bus at 7am. :glare:

 

:iagree:

 

It squicks me out to even think about it. Every day would be a war.

[m0mmaBuck]

I forgot to add.... This was a miserable morning ritual for me and it is one of the reasons we homeschool. No one should start their day this way. My DD is up and ready to go before I even get home from the gym but the boys.... Never the boys!

[Night Elf]

An alarm clock and strict times for each morning activity. Eating in the morning shouldn't be like a leisurely evening dinner. I'd allot X minutes for getting dressed and hygiene matters, X minutes for breakfast, and a 5 minute warning for before he has to leave the house, and then a NOW command when it's time to leave. If he's carrying his shoes or a piece of toast in his hand, so be it. :tongue_smilie:

 

If he missed the bus and I had to drive him, there would be a consequence of having to go to bed earlier that evening so he could get up earlier in the morning and have more time to prepare for school.

 

I'm with the others who said I hated this routine. Mornings were stressful. Then again, I sometimes felt that way when I was trying to get myself ready for work and out the door back in the days when I worked outside the home.

[AK_Mom4]

DS15 is mostly non-functioning in the morning. But he LOVES music and signed up for a 6:30am Jazz Band class (EEEK!)

 

Here is how it works:

5:15am - I get up

5:30am - I wake up DS and he eats breakfast (which I make for him because he is a zombie)

5:45am - DS into the shower

6am - DS out of the shower (I usually have to remind him at this point because he would stand in the hot shower until the universe turns cold)

6:15am - DS packs lunch into already filled backpack and we head out the door to drop him off.

 

Any deviation from this schedule and we have a major meltdown. We have to stay on a strict schedule EVERY.SINGLE.DAY in order for DS to be able to get up that early.

 

BTW - when my older kids were in public school, they got up at 7am in order to catch the bus at 8:30. That way, there was some free-time in the mornings for them. If they were running late, I just got them up earlier the next morning so they "would ahve enough time". A few days of getting up early convinced them to keep moving in the morning.

 

ETA: forgot to mention: we used a written schedule for DS15 when we first started getting up so early.

Edited May 28, 2011 by AK_Mom4

[elegantlion]

No advice, but I'll admit this is one of the reasons I hs my son. The kid would never make it onto a bus at 7am. :glare:

 

One of the school buses comes by at 6:45 a.m. and we live in town. :glare:

 

We had private school for prek and K. I'll admit I struggled when we were thinking of homeschooling. I knew eliminating the morning chaos would be a big perk, but I didn't want to make the reason to homeschool. Neither ds nor I are morning people. I had to stay on him from the time he got up to the time we walked out the door at 7:25. This was preschool, before homework etc. I would drop him off (no buses) and come home and crash, I was exhausted. It was horrid.

 

I truly think ds will end up with a job with odd hours or work at home. I can't imagine him wanting to ever sit in rush hour traffic. Thankfully dh and my dad both have unusual working hours, so it's not a foreign concept.

 

Could he do the bus? Yes, but I'd probably have more grey hair and a drinking problem (maybe I'm kidding). :tongue_smilie:

[Pax]

My oldest son hated getting up and was a super slow poke in the morning and he attended (and still does) PS. For the majority of his grade school years he walked and did not have to leave until 8:45ish. It was still a struggle. I had to get him out of bed by 7:00 to have him even be close to being ready. What helps for him (and me), is to jump into the shower straight from bed. By 8, he had already learned that when mom woke him up (usually singing a silly song and opening blinds, pulling covers off, tickling, whatever), he had to go straight to the shower. I also made it his responsibility to get up and get out the door on time, with reminders from me. If he didn't get out the door on time and was tardy to school, that meant he must not have gotten enough sleep so he needed to go to bed earlier the next night. His bedtime was 8 so that meant going to bed at 7. He was only tardy three times.

 

He has been completely independent in getting himself up and going off to school without me since 6th grade. He still (at 15) knows that if he is tardy to school or fusses about getting up in the morning, that means he has to go to bed an hour earlier.

[Murphy101]

People who operate like that would just have to get up earlier. Or they would get used to it. My kids are pokey, but they aren't used to having to deal with deadlines. I don't think it would take them long to get used to it though.

 

Growing up I could get ready pretty quickly. I would shower before bed and have as much ready the night before as I could. I also didn't have time for a large breakfast. You learn to deal.

 

I agree. If they need to go to bed earlier or get up earlier or have reminders that the clock is ticking, then you just do it and everyone gets over it and used to it.:)

[Mejane]

Could he do the bus? Yes, but I'd probably have more grey hair and a drinking problem (maybe I'm kidding). :tongue_smilie:

 

Yup. I'd be drinking Bloody Marys for breakfast. :D

[Dawn in OH]

No advice, but I'll admit this is one of the reasons I hs my son. The kid would never make it onto a bus at 7am. :glare:

 

Me too! The oldest boy takes forever to do anything. He gets it from his Dad.

[Laura Corin]

Does he take a book into the loo with him? I finally had to set a timer for my boys because they spent so long.

 

You could give him a choice: get up an hour earlier or speed up in the mornings. You might find he's more efficient if given the options starkly.

 

Laura

[Murphy101]

Yep. And once in awhile you don't have time for breakfast, you run out without brushing your teeth, and your clothes look like you slept in them. Then you remember to get your act together better the next day. It happens to the best of them. ;)

 

LOl yes. That too!

[ocelotmom]

While it wouldn't solve the whole problem, I'd focus on making breakfast something that was easy to bolt down quickly, nutrient dense, and easy to pack up and take with him if it wasn't finished in time. A smoothie with yogurt, fruit, nut butter, thinned with juice, is a lot quicker to eat than a bowl of yogurt, a piece of fruit, a piece of toast with nut butter, and a cup of juice, while being essentially the same thing (give them a piece of bread or put some grains in the smoothie if you want it to be identical), and you can stick it in a thermos if need be,

[Trish]

I'd homeschool him so he doesn't have to miss his bus, and he can get up at his own leisurely pace. Unless you have an appointment, of course.

[elise1mds]

My DD has to be at school by 8 but prefers to get there between 7:45 and 7:50 so she can talk to her friends. She has an alarm and gets herself up between 6:45 and 7. She's always in the kitchen with her bed made, clothes changed, and hair brushed by 7:15. She eats breakfast, brushes her teeth, and then we're off to school by 7:35, 7:40 at the latest. It's a 10-minute drive to school. My son, on the other hand, has an alarm clock that goes off every morning, but I still have to wake him up at 7:25 so he will at least be coherent by the time we have to leave. He hated getting up for school and is much happier in his pajamas till about 9.

[LG Gone Wild]

No advice, but I'll admit this is one of the reasons I hs my son. The kid would never make it onto a bus at 7am. :glare:

 

:iagree: The problem is *me*. I have two that would make it just fine. The eldest is a chip off the old block (me) and would fail miserably.

[SailorMom]

My DS gets up at 5:45, and has to be at the bus stop by 6:26. He has decided that a bit more sleep is worth toaster waffles in the morning. He gets up on his own and has never been late - so it can be done.

[Parrothead]

Bus riders do it because they have to.

[kalanamak]

Yep. And once in awhile you don't have time for breakfast, you run out without brushing your teeth, and your clothes look like you slept in them. Then you remember to get your act together better the next day. It happens to the best of them. ;)

 

It is only two days a week, so suddenly changing bedtime etc. would be difficult. Since I school in the evenings, we are often still doing art etc. by the time 9:30 rolls around and we get into bed for an hour of reading.

 

He is such a HUGE and slow eater. Just like dad. He looks 7 months along by the time he's done with his meal. His tall and thin and from a long line of tall thin boys who eat like horses. If he really wants to get somewhere, he'll eat two platefuls instead of 3 and does in half an hour. If he gets behind in his food, he gets a headache.

[Audrey]

No advice, but I'll admit this is one of the reasons I hs my son. The kid would never make it onto a bus at 7am. :glare:

 

 

Mine neither. It's worsened as he approaches teen-hood. The only thing that helps me is threatening to tickle him if he doesn't get out of bed, which I end up doing about 1/3 of the time anyway.

[Quad Shot Academy]

Mine have to start school at 9 and need to be dressed, fed, hair and teeth brushed, areas cleaned and sometimes a chore done. If they are late, they need to get up 15 minutes earlier the next morning. I think time management is an important life skill to learn, so rather than time each portion of the morning, I send out warning calls. "30 minutes" "15 minutes" They all make it on time 90% of the time w/o me micro managing.

 

The school bus comes down our block at 6:40. :001_huh: I can't even imagine that!

[elegantlion]

Yup. I'd be drinking Bloody Marys for breakfast. :D

 

:cheers2: Homeschooling: the sober choice.

[Sputterduck]

One of the school buses comes by at 6:45 a.m. and we live in town. :glare:

 

We had private school for prek and K. I'll admit I struggled when we were thinking of homeschooling. I knew eliminating the morning chaos would be a big perk, but I didn't want to make the reason to homeschool. Neither ds nor I are morning people. I had to stay on him from the time he got up to the time we walked out the door at 7:25. This was preschool, before homework etc. I would drop him off (no buses) and come home and crash, I was exhausted. It was horrid.

 

I truly think ds will end up with a job with odd hours or work at home. I can't imagine him wanting to ever sit in rush hour traffic. Thankfully dh and my dad both have unusual working hours, so it's not a foreign concept.

 

Could he do the bus? Yes, but I'd probably have more grey hair and a drinking problem (maybe I'm kidding). :tongue_smilie:

 

Neither am I. I am even deathly pale in the morning if I get up too fast. Like... white as a sheet. I think my heart just doesn't adjust very fast to me being upright. I'll also have a headache that I can't shake all day. If I take my sweet time, I feel fine. I've been in situations where people expect me to pop out of bed. :001_huh: Yeah... no.

 

My son on the other hand is a morning person and wakes up bright and early. When he was little, if someone would wake him up, he'd literally stand up right on his bed and start talking right that second. It was amazing to me. He would be fine going to school early.

[Hunter's Moon]

Yep. And once in awhile you don't have time for breakfast, you run out without brushing your teeth, and your clothes look like you slept in them. Then you remember to get your act together better the next day. It happens to the best of them. ;)

 

My school day (high school) started at 7:20. I got up at 6, showered, ate, and then we were off. Some days I would accidentally sleep in as late as 7 and have only 5-10 minutes to get ready. I always could since we wore uniforms, but I hated it because I felt not put together and sloppy. After a few times of that happening, I moved my alarm clock across the room. No more snooze button.

Edited May 29, 2011 by BeatleMania

[SailorMom]

In high school - I had to leave my house by 6:15 to get to school in time (started at 7:15). Ug - that was painful.

I wanted to continue to HS DS, but he really wanted to go back, so I basically told him that he had to show he was responsible enough to fully take advantage of the "privledge' of me letting him go back to school :) Hence never getting up late. He knows I'll yank him back home (well - I'm not that mean, but he thinks I am!).

[Twilight Woods]

DD is the same way. If she misses the bus b/c of lagging or not paying attention to the time then she get's a privilege taken away. I'm one for being punctual.

 

NOW when we start homeschooling Im not sure what I will do. If I set a start time then she will have the same consequence for not being ready.

[PollyOR]

An option - Children's Miracle Music. We use this when we need help getting back into a morning routine.

[gardening momma]

I'm with the others who said I hated this routine. Mornings were stressful. Then again, I sometimes felt that way when I was trying to get myself ready for work and out the door back in the days when I worked outside the home.

When I worked (before kids), I didn't like getting up in the morning, but it could be done because I didn't have kids to get ready too. Now, when I go somewhere early in the morning without kids (very seldom), I don't like getting up early, but it's soooo much easier to do w/o getting kids ready too (dh stays home with them).

[LaxMom]

My youngest has been a lolligagger since, literally, birth. He laid around in there for an hour and twenty after his brother was born. :glare:

 

If I had to get him on a bus, Bloody Marys may not be strong enough.

[stripe]

I just don't think it's conducive to a good environment to take someone off the toilet before he's finished or remove food from him.

 

I am coming to conclude that there will be delays unless the child has something inspiring him to get ready. When there's a will, there's a way. Maybe start your educational day with the most thrilling thing.

[SweetMissMagnolia]

if my son were in the PS there's no way we'd ever make it to school on time-we'd have to get up before daylight....

[LidiyaDawn]

Mine neither. It's worsened as he approaches teen-hood. The only thing that helps me is threatening to tickle him if he doesn't get out of bed, which I end up doing about 1/3 of the time anyway.

 

Perfectly normal - healthy, in fact - for teens… there's something different about their inner clocks (or whatever it is) that has them awake into the wee hours and then sleeping through the early bird buffets. Dd14 often doesn't wake up until 10-11am (or even later occasionally) these days - and keeps late hours. Sure, she can "force" herself to go against what her body seems to want, but then she's stressed, tired, overly emotional, etc. We get enough of that by virtue of her BEING a teenage girl; no need to add to it. :p

[PiCO]

Kiddo had a three course breakfast (he is very skinny and ate a full, late dinner), a brushing and flossing, 20 minutes on the pot, and is now washing his hands for a second time "to make sure" (I was recently down with the N/V bug). This has taken an hour and 15 minutes, with 15 more for dressing and making bed.

 

His dad has the same disease, and gets him up *very* leisurely M-F. What would you do to make his day get going when his dad isn't in charge?

 

It's hardest for us in the winter. I hate getting up when it's still dark outside. Older dd has to be out the door by 6:45.

[SailorMom]

Perfectly normal - healthy, in fact - for teens… there's something different about their inner clocks (or whatever it is) that has them awake into the wee hours and then sleeping through the early bird buffets. Dd14 often doesn't wake up until 10-11am (or even later occasionally) these days - and keeps late hours. Sure, she can "force" herself to go against what her body seems to want, but then she's stressed, tired, overly emotional, etc. We get enough of that by virtue of her BEING a teenage girl; no need to add to it. :p

 

I am so glad we have a late starting high school here. DS is in 8th now, so - he's got the early shift... But the high school doesn't start until 9am. Teens just need to sleep later.