Turn the Radio Off

On the weekends my kids often get up at 6:30 in the morning. They play quietly (and sometims not so quietly). School days, however, they have to get up at (poor babies) 7am.

We have tried everything to help my kindergartener get out of the bed for school in the morning. We tried a dawn simulator, but it didn't even come close to waking him up. We tried rousing him ridiculously early so he plenty of time to gradually wake up. That meant I had to wake up ridiculously early. We tried startling him awake, just short of throwing cold water on him. One morning I was shaking him awake and he yelled "I'm sleeping!" He often groggily mumbles "I don't want to get up," to which I reply "I don't either."

Finally we thought it might be a good idea to set his alarm clock to "wake to music." I thought NPR might be a good station, then second guessed myself because of all the talk of war. My husband, who is a huge classical music fan (second only to hip hop), suggested the local classical music station. Evidently we didn't think about the fact that even the classical music station breaks for local news and weather.

"Mom!" Charlie screamed from his room one morning.

"What?" I babbled through my toothpaste.

"There's been an accident!"

Well, we live close to the intersection of two fairly busy streets, and occasionally there is an accident there.

I spit in the sink and ran downstairs to find Charlie sitting on the bed with one pantleg on. "I don't see anything," I said, peering out the window.

"No, Mom, on the radio! They said there's been an accident!"

I sat down next to him, and put my arm around his shoulders.

"Honey, there is an accident every day."