Middle School Mean's Getting Up Early

My son transitioned this school year from elementary (5th grade) to middle school (6th grade) and that, among many things, means getting up early. He's always been an early riser but now he is up at 6:00 a.m. to catch the bus at 7:00 a.m.

I actually don't mind getting up at 6:00 a.m. but it wasn't until my wife gently informed me that she thought that he might be feeling lonely and isolated because he was the only one getting up so early. Amoong his responsibilities in the morning he takes a shower, makes his own breakfast, loads or unloads the dishwasher, makes his own bed, and and watches television all by himself in the morning.

I agreed with my wife although I'm not sure I would have recognized the isolation problem on my own. Ahh, but now as I think on it that's part of the beauty in a marriage. Each one compliments the other. I'm glad my wife was perceptive enough to recognize the void and gracious in telling me bout it. So, now I get up at 6:00 a.m. with him. I take a shower and get myself ready. Around about 6:45 a.m. we both sit down and spend 5-10 minutes together reading the Bible. Currently we are reading through the book of Job. At the end of our reading time we reflect on what we read and then ask each other questions about what we read. It's a great opportunity for us to spend some quality time together in the morning. This relatively quiet time together each morning is a great opportunity for us to communicate with each other.

If you are not already doing it I highly recommend getting up with your kids and spending a little bit of time with them before they rush off in the morning. I recognize that some of you are already doing this. Perhaps you have other traditions or shared commonalities. Why not share your ideas with others who read this blog. If you are not taking advantage of this time I'd really like to encourage you to do it.