Now I have a question for anyone reading. At what age do you expect your kids to get their own selves out of bed on time for school, work, etc.? Or for those who don't have kids - at what age were you responsible?
I don't remember my exact age, but I do remember getting a cool clock radio one Christmas, and from then on, I relished in the ability to set my alarm and get up on time each morning for school, all by myself. I think I was in middle school or late elementary school. Little did I know at the time that it was also a Christmas gift for my mom.
Meego, at 16, still struggles with this. I swear, he could sleep through a train wreck. He sets alarms, but it usually happens that Magnum or I has to wake him up to tell him his alarm is going off. What?
I felt he was getting too dependent on Magnum to get him up. I recall one day, late in the school year last year, when he came to me asking for a ride to school - he usually walks, it's just over a mile away.
Meego: *reluctantly* Can you give me a ride to school?
Me: *raised eyebrows*
Meego: I know it's not Dad's job to wake me up, but he woke me up really late.
Me: *to self - "does he listen to his sentences?"* Uhm... that's a half-right, half-wrong.
Anyway, I gave him a ride.
He's made some progress over the summer, but we're not yet in full self-reliant mode. Baby steps.
Any pointers?
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In other "Get Up!" but otherwise unrelated news - apparently Barry Bonds (I hear he plays baseball) reads my blog. He was in town for something and did the Manitou Incline - clearly after reading about it here.
He posted a short, scenic, out-of-breath video seen [HERE]. Funny he didn't mention me...
Okay, ShadowRun, we're next!
10 comments:
I've got a few suggestions, but first I need to ask "how much do you love meego." Cuz my suggestion might carry a few risks. lol
Ha, yes maybe I should clarify that we'd prefer that Meego be able to stay living with us while getting his own self up!
We struggled with the alarm issue all the way up until we had a girl. For whatever reason, SHE could get up with her alarm. As for the boys, we kept trying multiple obnoxious alarms until they found one that woke them up. Their first few days at college, though, I worried they would never get up.
The more I see and read about the incline, the more excited I am! I hope you can keep up with me. ;)
Maybe that's it - I need to go have a girl. Chaco and Wolfgang had their troubles too. College was a sink-or-swim.
Meego was using his tablet alarm, way too gentle. We found an old alarm clock, and it's poised and ready for full obnoxia tomorrow. Fingers crossed.
As for the Incline, just wait for me at the top. I'll get there eventually!
Record his dad's voice telling him to get up and set it loudly. That worked for a friend of mine that was reliant on his parents to wake up.
That's an interesting solution. So far, the "alarm from hell" seems to be doing the trick, but I'm keeping this suggestion in the back pocket.
I think my boys started getting themselves up reliably by around 8th grade, with mixed results. One of my sons was worse at it than the other, and they missed the bus several times. When they missed it two days in a row (needing a ride from me and making me late for work), I announced I would charge them $10 each for a ride. They only missed it one more time after that, and after I collected a fast $20 they never missed it again.
Money talks! I've done similar in other areas - cleaning lady "fees". Our high school makes kids go to school for half day on Saturday (Saturday School) if they have 3 tardies or more in one week. Happened once with Wolfgang. Not yet for Meego, but I think he might have had some lenient teachers for first period so far.
Momma was the one to deal with getting my son up in time for school, so I will have to plead the 5th. I do know, on the weekends, trying to get him up before noon was somewhat of a event. When he went off to college, we had to let go of those reigns so he learned the importance of clock management as well as scheduling afternoon classes. I could have resorted to my dad's technique of getting the three of us boys up on the weekend (show up in your room playing reveille on his cornet but that would probably be classified as abuse now-a-days.
He needs to go to bed earlier. I think it's that simple. If he gets enough sleep, he'll be able to wake up on his own. I'm so sure of it, I'll bet you a nickel!
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