"Getting up at 3am makes me a better mum - trolls say I'm working my kids too hard" says Bedford woman

Rosie Graham, 30, has been starting her day at 3am since she was 21 and says she used to spend hours "scrolling on her phone" for 'me' time in the early mornings – before having kids.

But after having three children – aged three, five and seven – she decided to use the time productively and now spends five hours in the morning having a bath, doing skincare and helping her kids with extra reading and maths work.

She says her two eldest children do extracurricular work before school every morning and journal about their feelings, before packing their own lunches - and claims they've become "more curious and emotionally intelligent" because of it.

But online trolls have accused her of working them too hard and say she shouldn't "force" her kids to get up so early - but she says they get 10 hours sleep with the kids going to bed at 7pm and her hitting the hay at 9pm.

Rosie, a former youth worker and full-time mum said: "There's so much pressure on mums to be working, parenting and holding down a relationship – this is just a routine that works for me.

"I've always been very organised and it stems from the previous work I've done with kids. Working with disadvantaged children instilled my values into me – and I knew the kind of mum I wanted to be.

"I get a lot of: 'Your poor kids must be exhausted' – but we all get a minimum of 10 hours sleep. I go to bed at 9pm and my kids go to bed at 7pm."

Rosie says she's been getting up at 3am since she was 21, as her work often required her to start her commute at 5am.

But for the first few years, Rosie used to sit in bed for "hours" on her phone, scrolling through social media.

It wasn't until she had her first son, that she decided to "be more productive" in the mornings.

She began "pottering around the house", tidying up from the night before and running through her self-care routine, which involves a 45-minute bath and skincare.

"The first thing I'll do is wake up and get in the bath for 45 minutes," she said.

"I'll get myself ready, do my skincare routine, tidy up from the evening - although I do reset before bed, so there usually isn't much to do.

"I put toys away, unload the dishwasher, make a cup of tea and meal prep for the evening's dinner.

"The kids' breakfasts come next - I usually prep them some fruit and a toastie."

Rosie's children will then wake up between 5am and 6am, immediately get dressed and tidy any clutter from their bedrooms.

After breakfast, they'll do extracurricular reading and maths from "learning baskets" Rosie prepares for them - and she says their homework isn't set by the school.

Rosie's eldest son usually reads Horrid Henry while her daughter, five, will read "anything with princesses" - and their maths work includes working with number blocks.

Rosie said: "Although I appreciate the education system, I'm not relying on it to raise my children.

"Teachers have classes of 30 kids at a time - and I want to make sure my children are getting the attention they need."

Following their homework, Rosie says her children have "journal time" - during which they're able to write down any feelings they're having, or explore how they're feeling about the day ahead.

After working for 10 years with youth groups and charities like Barnardo's, Rosie believes it's important for children to get in touch with their emotions from a young age.

"I'm trying to provide my kids with all the tools they need to flourish," she said.

"But I've seen the effects on children - particularly young offenders and kids in care - when they aren't raised to be emotionally intelligent.

"They become adults who can't handle their emotions, and they become angry - particularly young men."

Rosie says both her school-age children are reading several levels higher than average - but finds it frustrating when trolls say she's "too strict" with them.

She claims commenters online have even told her she's a "bad mum" for feeding her kids fruit.

But she insists the early morning routines and additional work have left her children "independent, emotionally intelligent and smart".

"Reading, learning and getting up early aren't punishments," she said.

"I'm creating children who are emotionally resilient and intellectually curious.

"I'd just say to people - you need to do what works for your family."

Rosie's morning routine:

3am - 4am: Bath and skincare

4am - 5am: Tidying the house, prepping the kids' breakfasts, cup of tea

5am - 6am: Wake the kids up, kids tidy their rooms, breakfast

6am - 7am: Extra reading and maths, journalling

7am - 8am: Kids do crafts, additional tidying up, evening meal prep

8am: School run