Morning Gameshow

On the weekday mornings, when I wake my little people from their slumber to get ready for school, I always face a dilemma: whose room do I go to first?

Behind Door #1:

The 8 year old daughter wakes with a sigh & a stillness. I gently pull back the covers & see her arms wrapped around Hudzen, the bear we ordered for her online when we couldn't find just the right stuffed teddy locally. Often times she pops right up with a hug for me & a smile plastered across her sleepy face. She has sweet words for her mommy & sometimes tells me about a dream she had in the night. She silently watches as I flip on the soft light beside her bed & the yellow lava lamp on the bookshelf near her bedroom window. Just enough light by which to read her devotional, which I hand to her as she props herself up on pillows in a good reading position.

Behind Door #2:

The 10 year old daughter is usually huddled in a ball under her covers. When she hears the lamp flip on, or my footsteps approaching her bedroom, or my loving words of "Good morning munchkin!", she begins to squawk. At least that's what it sounds like to me. I picture a prehistoric type bird dive-bombing its enemy, sending out its high-pitched, ear-deafening war cry.
"SQUAAAAAAAAA-AAAAWK!!!!!"
For a moment, I am afraid. My heart beats fast. She flails about in bed & moans in misery. I take cover until the scene quiets down. Down on the floor, I do the army crawl to the edge of her bed. I gently pull back her covers & see hair. Just a big gob of tangled hair covering her face. She remains in the vertical position as long as possible. Her resistance is unpleasant. Her terrifying animal-like screeches would scare small children.
And mothers everywhere. 

Every morning she complains about being so very tired that she should stay home from school. I assure her that we're all tired. And I always tell her that if she just starts moving & getting ready, that the sleepies will go away. She says, "You always tell me that, mom." You want to know something else I always tell her? "GET UP." About 15 times every morning. 

So, you see my dilemma, right? Do I wake the unhappy camper first & just get it over with? Or do I put it off as long as possible? I know, such seriously heavy choices to determine at the start of each day.
How do I do this every morning? (haha!)

I am not a morning person. I do a bit of squawking myself. I can empathize with the great turmoil that exists about the whole "waking" thing: keeping the eyes closed for fear they'll burn in the daylight, not wanting to interrupt the whole process of  REM–certain that the universe will become unbalanced if I rise too early. Stuff like that.

I have actually started a new routine when entering Door #2. I imagine how I would like to be woken up. So, I pull back the sheets & snuggle with my squawking munchkin. I admit, it's like cuddling with an angry dragon, but I persevere. Sometimes I read her bible verses to her. I most definitely try to think of something ridiculous & silly to say. And we may even talk about the day ahead & what we most look forward to. If all else fails, there's always the pointer-finger in the armpit trick.
I will make happiness a part of her morning, whether she likes it or not.
"SQUAWK!!!"
♥