*I put OK Computer on the other day and my kids said it sounded like elevator music. I wish they played Radiohead in elevators! And I wish my kids were willing to try a song longer than a minute before they reached for my phone to change it.
I feel like I’m getting into the rhythm of the school year, but one of the only reasons I’ve been able to get into that rhythm is because I have a million alarms and reminders set on my phone. Every day I have alarms and reminders that make sure I get out of bed, start my zero period class on time, stop teaching so certain classes have time to clean up, make it to my break duty, plug in the computers before I leave, pick up something on the way home, take my vitamins, plug in the car, start reading, and so on.
My phone is the only thing keeping me on track.
Of course I don’t have alarms set for my son’s random wake ups in the night. He’s always needed someone to come to him at least once a week. But lately it’s been every night again and it’s starting.to wear on me. No one talks about night parenting an almost night year old but I’m definitely still doing that. It’s really rough.
It’s because he called for someone at 5am that I’m up writing this. But my second alarm is about to go off, so I better just hit publish on this.
I don’t think I’ll be able to get by with no alarms and no reminders any time soon. And I suppose it’s okay that I depend so much on my phone to get through my days. I just hope my son can start getting through his nights without me.
If your phone alarms get you through and keep things on track then they are wonderful and need celebrating. Phone alarms can help SO VERY MUCH! Happy for you that you are using them and they help.
Not in the night time, and when it is just you two (or just son & husband) is he able to articulate what is happening for him in the night? There are LOTS of scary things happening in the world that 9 yr olds are now aware of…. Maybe, if he can say what happens or what he dreams or what causes the upset, maybe he can begin to deal with a different approach than waking others. OR NOT! Some things that are happening just flat are scary at any age.
I too use my phone alarms….. because they work.
My son is 12 and still comes to sleep with me at night when he has anxiety. I have told him it’s fine as long as he doesn’t talk and wake me up. Sometimes he still does, when he needs to, but a lot of the time, he just climbs into my bed and falls asleep. It’s helped a little with my loss of sleep. I keep hoping it will end, but I agree with “purple and rose” (comment above); there is a lot of scary stuff in the world that causes anxiety in kids.
An “almost night year old”?!? Love your Freudian slip there 😜
I too have alarms set as reminders for everything. Every day is different, both from the other days in the week and from the same day in other weeks. It’s how I know I won’t slip up. Got enough on my mind without having to remind myself of when to run here or there!
I rely very heavily on GCal reminders rather than phone alarms but this reminds me that I should give it a try for school pick up since it’s so easy for me to lose track of time while I’m engrossed in work or whatever’s going on.