After a long summer, it can be hard for kids to get out of bed and ready for school — so hard that one Georgia mom recently enlisted help from a live marching band to wake her daughter.
Shelly Kent of Cumming, Georgia, told TODAY.com that her 10-year-old daughter Sophie is known for hitting the snooze button several times every morning. But last Monday, a jazz band marched into her bedroom around 6:30 a.m., jolting the young girl from sleep.
"She had no idea," Kent said. "And the band was incredible. They arrived here around 5:45 a.m. We planned everything downstairs, and I had a loud fan on upstairs to mute any noise. They snuck in very quietly."
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The prank was thanks to "The Bert Show," which is taking drastic measures to help parents wake up sleepy kids as a series on its radio show. Associate producer Davi Crimmins told TODAY.com the show recently put out a call for parents who have trouble waking their kids up before school.
"We got a huge response," she said. "We talked to these parents and they said they're spending 45 minutes each weekday trying to wake their kids up! So we wanted to help."
"We started to brainstorm creative ways to wake them up," Crimmins added. "Some involved bagpipes. Some involved drill sergeants."
A band was the perfect fit for Sophie, who just started the sixth grade and signed up for marching band. She's still trying to figure out what instrument she'll play, her mom said.
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This week, the show sent the cast of a local "Rent" production to another young girl's bedroom, singing "The Circle of Life" from "The Lion King." One actor even held up the girl's guinea pig, pretending it was Simba from the movie, during the early morning performance.
"The parents are totally in on it," Crimmins said. "So no matter how scared they look, the parents put us up to it. I promise."
As for Sophie, her mom says she was thrilled by the prank, not angry. And it's done some good — she's been getting up earlier.
"I tell her to wake up once, and I don't have to go back in," Kent said. "We joke about it — really, that's all I had to do?"