morning routine

Charlie's school doesn't start until 9:20 am, so we are the lucky household that gets to 'sleep in'.  I am usually the first to answer the call of the alarm at 7:15, and feed the cat and start the coffee.

I start waking Charlie up at 7:30, and by 7:45 I start dragging him out of his loft bed.  He used to jump out of bed so easily when he was younger, singing and happy and fully rested.  He has now hit the teen years, (a bit early), and sleep hangs on to him as long as possible.  He grumbles as he shuffles down the hall, and drops dramatically on to the couch.

The next minutes are filled with urging him to get dressed, figuring out if he needs a lunch, making sure he has gym clothes or permission slips.  I am always relieved when he gets out the door on time, heading down the block to his bus stop.  I pour myself another cup of coffee, read the paper, and fire up my laptop.

Today the alarm went off, and I realized I was in bed alone.  I slid into my slippers, hugged the cat sleeping on our bed, and urged my stiff joints to propel me down the stairs.  Mike was in front of his computer, and had been up for a while.  I walked into the living room and not only was Charlie up, he was DRESSED AND HAD MADE HIS OWN BREAKFAST.  I immediately felt his forehead.  No, no fever.  And Mike had been flying a new simulator program for a couple of hours, and was not responsible for our early riser.  My whole morning started off discombobulated.

Turns out Charlie is on a mission to demonstrate how 'mature' he is, as he is renewing his lobbying efforts to purchase an M rated game.  We are one of those families that feel a 12 year old doesn't need M rated video games in his life.  Not yet.  Several of his on-line friends don't have those restrictions, so there is peer pressure in action.  We shall stand firm.

I sure did like the whole getting up on his own deal this morning.  Although his lobbying efforts would have been more successful if he had made me coffee.