He wasn't built to get up at this time

At the risk of showing my age, does anyone remember a group called The Supernaturals? They're probably best known for their song 'I wasn't built to get up at this time' (go listen here if you're not sure) back in the 90's and it's a song that's rather apt for a certain little boy I know; if you ignore some of the lyrics.

Where Garfield the cat hates Monday's, Ethan seems to hate mornings lately. Whether he wakes up first himself or we go in to stir him from his slumber, after an initial smile and sleepy rub of the eyes, more often than not he will start to cry. For no real reason and for quite a while. As I change his nappy. As I get him dressed. When I clean his teeth (which he REALLY hates at the moment, so it only makes him cry even more).

It doesn't matter whether it's a day at home or a day at nursery, it just seems he doesn't like mornings very much at the moment.

My sleeping beauty

Once he's had his breakfast, through slobbery sobs, or if it's a day when I am at work, once he's at nursery and handed over to one of the nice nursery staff, he's completely fine. Albeit a little puffy around the eyes and blotchy across his cheeks.

Honestly, you think he'd been tortured or neglected, the way he gets upset sometimes!

The nursery suggested that it might just be a phase where he knows that I might be leaving him so he gets himself worked up, regardless of the fact he loves nursery and is always happy to arrive there. I think they could be right; he's certainly becoming more aware of his routine and the week before last, when hubs was working from home, we collected him from nursery together so last week, Ethan started asking for Daddy when I arrived, expecting to see both of us again.

Whatever is causing it, I hope it's just a phase. It's really quite upsetting to see him so upset so early on in the day. It does give me pangs of guilt at leaving him and I know I am really lucky that he doesn't really ever get upset at nursery, unlike some other children who quite literally hang off their mother's legs when they're dropped off.

It's made me realise that Ethan understands things more and more every day and that maybe he's realising Mummy and Daddy aren't always around. But he's ok, he's got lots of friends to play with and is doing just fine, even if we're not there with him all day every day.

Has you child ever gone through this phase? What have you done to help them feel better?