Trying Out a New Fix to Calvin’s Wakeup Routine

The Problem

As I write this at 5:49 a.m., I just made a decision to get Calvin out of bed. This means that remotely unlocked his bedroom door and told him to get up. While this appears to be an innocuous routine, every morning it’s a damn dance. When do we wake him up? Is is awake or just stirring in his sleep?

The Facts

1. If we wake him up too early, he’ll sleep during the day and throw off his sleep.
2. If we let him stay in his room too late, he may go to the bathroom and we’ll have a cleanup on our hands. Early morning seems to be when this happens the most.
3. If we give him direct access to the bathroom overnight, he may play in the water and flood the basement while we’re sleeping (I’m working on this one)
4. If he has direct access to the bathroom during the day, he’ll go to the bathroom normally.

The Experimental Solution

If it’s after 5:30 a.m and he gets out of bed for any reason or starts moving around a lot, I’m going to have the system unlock his door and tell him to take his blanket and go back to sleep on his couch. This lets him get sleep, but gives him direct access to the bathroom in case he needs to go.