Why would you want to do that?

This is what many of my friends have asked me when I've mentioned that we're adopting an early rising lifestyle with our two girls, ages 8 and 5.  Even more commonly, they've nodded with a slightly perplexed look, only thinly veiled by their smiles and expressions of approval.  While there is a plethora of information out there on the benefits of getting up early, and I hope to share some of that here, it’s still a valid question.  Why do WE want to do it now?  Especially when we’ve been waiting for 8 years for our girls to stop waking US up at the crack of dawn!

No doubt we'll revisit our motivations (and right-mindedness) with some frequency in the weeks ahead.  And there’s a fairly strong chance that we’ll end up abandoning the whole notion.  But here’s why we’re giving it a try.

We want to preserve our sanity. 

While some may argue it’s too late for that (and perhaps we did commit ourselves to insanity simply by choosing to have children) we think this may be one component to a peaceful family life.  In other words, we want to get up early so we can carve out a space for good family time, even during the hectic school year. 

In the summer, family life really does seem more peaceful.  Our family savors the lazy mornings together.  When the girls don't have to be out the door at a certain time they can lay in bed with a good book, linger over breakfast, participate more meaningfully in the purposeful work of taking care of themselves and our home, and approach daily responsibilities such as music practice with enthusiasm.  There is ample time for infusing humor into challenges and savoring the sweet little triumphs and fascinations with the "moment" that young children experience with remarkable frequency, particularly in the morning when they are refreshed and energized.

As the beginning of this new school year approached, it was the loss of this relaxed time together that I was dreading the most.  During past school years, despite our best intentions, we often ended up rushing through our mornings.  We know a solid night's rest is essential for learning and for navigating through the school day.  So we have always let the girls sleep until they awoke on their own (or as late as possible). 

Most days, this translated into having not quite enough time for the usual get-ready-for-school routine.  Get dressed, eat breakfast, brush teeth, comb hair, get shoes on and get out the door.  Dave and I were the cattle herders, trying to jostle the girls through their responsibilities while making breakfast, packing lunches, getting ourselves ready and checking in about the schedule for that afternoon/evening.  Preferring to have as much home time as possible, the girls would often drag their feet.  And our patience was short for the inevitable delays (intentional and accidental) that popped up as the clock quickly registered the time to leave.  Conflicts were frequent, tempers might flare, and far too often we started the day on a sour note.

So, we decided a couple of weeks ago that we would try getting up early and give ourselves “savoring time”.  Dave and I had many conversations about just what that meant for us.  We came to the conclusion that savoring time meant having enough time for each of us to really connect with both girls in the morning.  In our family, that means having time for rubbing backs and snuggling in bed before getting up.  It means having time to approach the morning routine tasks with intention and good humor.  It means having enough time for the adults to take care of their own needs (exercise, healthy breakfast, shower) and for the children to engage in the purposeful work they crave (making breakfast, making their own lunches, feeding the family pets, playing their musical instruments, etc.)  

For Dave and me, it means meeting the challenge of being truly present with the girls through each step of the morning and avoiding the distractions of pagers, computers and phones as much as possible.  And it means packing less into our afternoons and evenings so we can get to bed in time to do it all again the next morning.

It is our hope that getting up early will infuse our family with the precious commodity of time, an essential ingredient for intention and calm.  All of us, the girls included, will use this space to record our thoughts and observations as we give this a go.