My son is a funny combination of a morning person and a morning grouch. He hops out of bed before any of us, but is most prone to be in a skutchy* mood. He is not an early bird who is cheerful. Oh no. He is an early bird who is truculent and absolutely sure that he gets less cereal in his bowl than his sister does, no matter how much I strive for visual parity.
It doesn’t exactly make our mornings flow more harmoniously. However, when I woke him up yesterday, I absentmindedly picked up his plush wolf puppet (I think it’s a Folkmanis), and let the wolf wake him up. Soon the wolf was attempting to dance with his penguin, and being an absolute goofball…Nathaniel woke up with a GRIN on his face. His good mood lasted all the way till school dropoff. I have no idea how long it endured, but yeah. Morning laughter. Good. I think Wolfie will wake him up, or greet him first, from now on. 
*skutch (n.), skutchy (adj): pronounced with oo as in book. Walsh family term for irascible/touchy. May also be a word others use. If so, let me know : )
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