Poll: How many teens wake themselves up 4 school

busywend

Well-Known Member
Just wondering how many teenagers are waking themselves up in the AM. PCs and difficult children alike.

Thanks!
 
I don't know why, and I hope I don't jinx it...

but my 6 year old wakes herself up. No alarm.


My older one needed 3 alarms and a swift kick.
 

mrscatinthehat

Seussical
My easy child does. She has since middle school. For her at the time she wanted a later bed time and I said that would be okay as long as she could get herself up in the morning and not have to deal with lateness or grumpiness. No problem.

difficult child 2 when he was home also woke himself up with no problem. He has never needed much sleep (ugh). He is also obsessed with time. So he was always on top of it. At the Residential Treatment Center (RTC) he doesn't have an alarm so he doesn't wake himself up there but he doesn't have any problems.

However difficult child 1 needs a crane to get out of bed. Nothing helps. She just eiher can't or won't do it herself.

Beth
 

ck1

New Member
My difficult child went to boarding school last semester and now is in an Residential Treatment Facility (RTF), BUT, when he was home for school I had to wake him up every morning for as long as I can remember. I have bought him so many different types of alarm clocks, dual alarms, the ones that have a scent, then light up, then make noise, everything, nothing worked!

Over the summer we made him get up at 9 AM every morning because I didn't want to have a lot of trouble when transitioning for school, he set his alarm so he was kind of awake, but I still had to nudge him a lot to get him moving. If he had to catch a bus he would have missed it!

I have two teenage nephews who are both easy child's and I know they do not get up on their own, they must be woken up every morning!

Great questions Busywend, I'll be interested in seeing everyone else's responses because my husband thinks that my difficult child is the only one who doesn't get up on his own!!!
 

bby31288

Active Member
UGH now this is a battle I hate. None of my 3 kids can get up on their own. I hate it. We have tried blaring alarms, everything. Now I get up go in there, wake them, go downstairs put the dogs out, come back wake them. I start at 5:30 a.m. and if I'm lucky they are up by 6:15!!! Its not a pleasant way to start your morning.
 

goldenguru

Active Member
I always used to wake my kids up. They preferred a hug and kiss to the alarm blaring at them. I am/was an early bird so it was never an issue.

When I couldn't be there for whatever reason, they managed to used their alarm clocks effectively. Both are out of the house and get to work/school on time.

Whatever the mode ... the alarm or the mom ... I think it becomes an issue when they won't get out of bed.
 

meowbunny

New Member
I have one sort of in the middle. If there is something she wants to do, there's no problem with her hearing the alarm and getting up. If there is something that needs to be done, she can usually get herself up if she deems it important. If I deem it important, I have to wake her. If it is just because she has to get up, good luck. The alarm can blare for an hour and she won't hear it. The only thing that works is my voice. When she was in school, the same thing applied -- if something "fun" was going to happen in class, no problems. Otherwise, it was and is a duck and run thing. She is NOT a morning person.
 

KateM

Member
My easy child gets herself up and out every day -- and she has to catch the bus by 6:50 !

difficult child is 20 (!) and still needing some nugding to get up at times!
 

Sheila

Moderator
difficult child has an alarm clock, but he doesn't use it. He tried it briefly, but without success -- typically "forgot" to set it. That was probably close to 2 years ago, and I don't think he was ready actually -- still isn't quite.

It hasn't been an issue with-me because I allow husband the "pleasure" of waking difficult child in the mornings. lol He's pretty good about getting up now -- not true in +/- 2nd - 4th grades.

Teaching difficult child to get himself up in the mornings is something I'll need to put back on the "to do" list in the next 6 - 12 mo, but frankly, it's so much calmer here in the mornings compared to years past that I'm going to have to work up the courage......
 

Fran

Former desparate mom
easy child is pretty self motivated and sets his own alarm but I was the back up when occasionally he slept through the alarm. I like the idea of waking them up with a little love. If that didn't work, I can use the Drill Sergeant routine. LOL.

I always got difficult child up since he needed the routine. Now, he gets himself up but he has days when he needs a back up alarm. I didn't feel confident about him being up on time when he was a teen and I still don't.
 

Got2Sleep

New Member
Both my older kids get themselves up. For my son(14) he uses his alarm, showers, THEN he wakes ME. My daughter uses her alarm set at the latest possible time and then presses snooze several times.
If they have a late wake-up, they go to bed that much earlier that night. Seems to work here.
 
K

Kjs

Guest
When I am not at work... he is :sleeping: and it takes a long time to get him up.

When I am at work..he is up and online :geek: early.
 

Kathy813

Well-Known Member
Staff member
easy child used an alarm clock and got up and off to school by herself.

difficult child had to be dragged out of bed (but does fine now that she is living on her own).

~Kathy
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
My fourteen year old son is up, dressed and out the door to catch his bus by 6:40 without an alarm. However, I had a few PCs who I'd almost have to hit with a hammer to wake up. My fourteen year old is a day person. Down early/up early. Like me.
 

WNC Gal

New Member
8 year old and 12 year old easy child - both wake up to own alarm.
8 year old's is a VERY loud chimey bell thing.

12 year old needed a "Shake Awake" alarm clock as she would sleep through audible alarms.

difficult child has always been good about getting up in the am (not so good about going TO bed!).
 

SnowAngel

New Member
My older 3 easy child's and oldest difficult child wake themselves up. My 16yr son can even stay up until 12:00am and be up at 5:30am without my assistance. I can't even remember when I had to wake him up.

My 9 & 10 boys need a bunch of help to get up. They are the only two on medications, not sure if that is a factor or not. My 10yr son needs medications to sleep.
 

Nancy

Well-Known Member
Neither easy child or difficult child got up by themselves, even if they set an alarm.

easy child is at college now and gets up fine by herself. difficult child will probably never be able to hold a job because she will never get up by herself.

Nancy
 

lovemysons

Well-Known Member
My easy child generally depends on my alarm to wake her up, however...
I have seen her walk to school before if my alarm did not go off. She has self motivation and does not want to miss school, go get missing assignments, turn in homework late, etc.

My difficult child's would NEVER walk to school if the alarm didn't go off or if I didn't wake them up. They would have simply used it as an excuse to not go to school AND blame it on me! I HAD to wake them up or at least try. Both of my difficult child's ended up essentially dropping out of school by 9th grade due to their behaviors: suspensions, expulsions, jail school, egbs, homeschool etc were all tried. Finally they both ended up with GED's.

There's a huge difference between my difficult child's sense of responsibility and my easy child's.

Tammy
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Once my kids hit Jr High it was their responsibility to get themselves up for school. Alarm clocks woke them at 5 am. They had to be out of the house by 6:15 am.

Except for a few rare occasions when Travis overslept (maybe a handful of times over 6 yrs) all seemed to do just fine.
 
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