Blended Families

Those with teenagers (bio or step) nbr

Can your teenager wake up to an alarm clock? My ds sleeps right through them. They wake my h up on the other side of the house and he uses a sound machine. This irritates me so bad. After speaking with my Mom she reminded me that I couldn't wake up either to an alarm clock at his age. (Then I had ds1 right before I turned 17 and he was the alarm clock I couldn't ignore).

He really is such a good kid and doesn't cause us any problems so I haven't made a huge issue out of it. Also I don't want him to miss school b/c of it.

BUT I know he will be in college in now less than 2 yrs and his Mama won't be there to shake him awake!!

Any thoughts?

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Re: Those with teenagers (bio or step) nbr

  • I never got up to my alarm clock in h.s. either.  Miraculously, I can now.  And teenagers are supposed to have better hearing than us old folks.  Maybe they make special high frequency ones for teens?
    Stay at home mom to a house of boys: two amazing stepsons, 12 and 9, and our 4 year old.
  • I woke up to an alarm during my teen years. My college roommate didnt. I woke her up to shut up the alarm. Another kid in my dorm slept with the window open and his alarm would be going off. Kids walking by would yell through the window to get to class. Someone will wake him up in college, lol.
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  • My SD is 14 and we've had issues with the alarm clock.  Before she said it didn't work and wouldn't go off  So now, we got her a new one that has GPS so the time sets automatically. We told her this year she is going to have to start getting up on her own because the school bus leaves and hour earlier (6:20 a.m.). DH got the times for the alarms set for her but it ends up waking us up and she ignores it.  Now the other problem is this - she unplugs it because it is annoying.  This doesn't make DH happy.  While it sets the time automatically, setting the alarms is a process.  I asked her why she unplugged it and she said "because it is annoying."  She also unplugs it because she plugged in her cell phone and her computer.  She won't plug them in across the room when she goes to bed, they have to be next to her.  DH needs to get back to taking the phone and computer out of her room during the school week.  We are in the middle of remodeling her room and her room is temporarily set up in the office.  There are still plenty of plugs there.  DH told her the other day if she continues unplugging the clock work will stop on her room.  She had told him when the remodeling began to make sure there are at least 4 outlets by the bed.  That's not going to happen. 

    Anyway, back to the clock - by the time I was her age I was able to get up with the clock.  We know she can, however, her phone and computer are more important than an alarm clock.  This, I can see, will be an ongoing battle. The phone and computer are a whole other story.

    Good luck.  I wish I had some good advice for you.

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  • imageClassicoyote:

    My SD is 14 and we've had issues with the alarm clock.  Before she said it didn't work and wouldn't go off  So now, we got her a new one that has GPS so the time sets automatically. We told her this year she is going to have to start getting up on her own because the school bus leaves and hour earlier (6:20 a.m.). DH got the times for the alarms set for her but it ends up waking us up and she ignores it.  Now the other problem is this - she unplugs it because it is annoying.  This doesn't make DH happy.  While it sets the time automatically, setting the alarms is a process.  I asked her why she unplugged it and she said "because it is annoying."  She also unplugs it because she plugged in her cell phone and her computer.  She won't plug them in across the room when she goes to bed, they have to be next to her.  DH needs to get back to taking the phone and computer out of her room during the school week.  We are in the middle of remodeling her room and her room is temporarily set up in the office.  There are still plenty of plugs there.  DH told her the other day if she continues unplugging the clock work will stop on her room.  She had told him when the remodeling began to make sure there are at least 4 outlets by the bed.  That's not going to happen. 

    Anyway, back to the clock - by the time I was her age I was able to get up with the clock.  We know she can, however, her phone and computer are more important than an alarm clock.  This, I can see, will be an ongoing battle. The phone and computer are a whole other story.

    Good luck.  I wish I had some good advice for you.

    Get a powerstrip for her. I have one next to my bed for my alarm, lamp, phone and nook chargers. And I would probably set the alarm up on the opposite end of the room so she has to get out of bed to turn it off.
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  • My dh thinks I baby ds by waking him up. While it's irritating I don't think it's worth a showdown. I'm glad y'all think he may actually wake up in college.. Lol.
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  • I don't have teenagers, but I don't think anything has changed much in the 10 years since I was in HS - and I certainly woke with an alarm, as did the majority of my friends.  Perhaps its a gender thing?

  • imagewendilea:
    My girls set the alarms on their cell phones and get up with that.  They're up at least an hour before I am, because they have to do their hairrrrrrrrrrr, etc before school.

     

    *giggles*

    I had a class that started at 630 in HS (freshmen and soph year) and I walked there, if the alarm wasn't set, I didn't go - no bus, nobody drove me...

  •  
    imageCurlyQ284:
    imageClassicoyote:

    Get a powerstrip for her. I have one next to my bed for my alarm, lamp, phone and nook chargers. And I would probably set the alarm up on the opposite end of the room so she has to get out of bed to turn it off.

     We tried that  - didn't work.  She still unplugged the clock and had everything else plugged in.  She told DH that she likes having everything close to her.  Everything but the alarm clock.

    I found a clock in a catalog that has wheels.  When the alarm goes off and it senses movement, it runs away.  Makes you chase it down.  Maybe that will be my next step other than DH hooking some sort of firehouse bell in her room that she can't unplug.

    Thanks for the advice.

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  • imageClassicoyote:
     
    imageCurlyQ284:
    imageClassicoyote:

    Get a powerstrip for her. I have one next to my bed for my alarm, lamp, phone and nook chargers. And I would probably set the alarm up on the opposite end of the room so she has to get out of bed to turn it off.

     We tried that  - didn't work.  She still unplugged the clock and had everything else plugged in.  She told DH that she likes having everything close to her.  Everything but the alarm clock.

    I found a clock in a catalog that has wheels.  When the alarm goes off and it senses movement, it runs away.  Makes you chase it down.  Maybe that will be my next step other than DH hooking some sort of firehouse bell in her room that she can't unplug.

    Thanks for the advice.

    H does not wake to ANYTHING but an old (like early 90s) alarm clock... Its obnoxiously loud... and set across the room.

    I'd also consider (I think they are pretty costly) one of those alarm clocks that brightens the room for 30 minutes before wake up time and THEN alarms... its supposed to be more natural

  • Classic, Just curious why you just dont put more outlets by her bed like she is suggesting, you are remodeling the room anyway...wouldnt that solve the problem?
  • imagehopanka:
    Classic, Just curious why you just dont put more outlets by her bed like she is suggesting, you are remodeling the room anyway...wouldnt that solve the problem?

     

    Her room will have two outlets by the bed.  There will be a total of 10 outlets in the room when we are done, not including the two in the new bathroom.  We are remodeling to make what was our small in-suite bathroom hers.  Even with all of those outlets she still tells us she wants power strips for each one.  There is no reason (in our opinion) for any more than that.  She doesn't need her phone and computer by her bed at bedtime. It keeps her up most nights (texting and calls throughout the night) and then she doesn't want to get out of bed in the morning.

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  • imageClassicoyote:

    imagehopanka:
    Classic, Just curious why you just dont put more outlets by her bed like she is suggesting, you are remodeling the room anyway...wouldnt that solve the problem?

     

    Her room will have two outlets by the bed.  There will be a total of 10 outlets in the room when we are done, not including the two in the new bathroom.  We are remodeling to make what was our small in-suite bathroom hers.  Even with all of those outlets she still tells us she wants power strips for each one.  There is no reason (in our opinion) for any more than that.  She doesn't need her phone and computer by her bed at bedtime. It keeps her up most nights (texting and calls throughout the night) and then she doesn't want to get out of bed in the morning.

    Maybe that's more of the issue then finding the right alarm clock

  • imageClassicoyote:

    imagehopanka:
    Classic, Just curious why you just dont put more outlets by her bed like she is suggesting, you are remodeling the room anyway...wouldnt that solve the problem?

     

    Her room will have two outlets by the bed.  There will be a total of 10 outlets in the room when we are done, not including the two in the new bathroom.  We are remodeling to make what was our small in-suite bathroom hers.  Even with all of those outlets she still tells us she wants power strips for each one.  There is no reason (in our opinion) for any more than that.  She doesn't need her phone and computer by her bed at bedtime. It keeps her up most nights (texting and calls throughout the night) and then she doesn't want to get out of bed in the morning.

    We take all of SS's electronic equipment out of his room at night.  As well, although they're not teenagers yet, SS and DD have had alarms set since they were 8 and 5 respectively.  That's about the time my parents started my brother and I on the alarm clock.

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  • My SD did when I met her at 11yo but I could not until college.
    Jen - Mom to two December 12 babies Nathaniel 12/12/06 and Addison 12/12/08
  • imagesteph141:
    imageClassicoyote:

    imagehopanka:
    Classic, Just curious why you just dont put more outlets by her bed like she is suggesting, you are remodeling the room anyway...wouldnt that solve the problem?

     

    Her room will have two outlets by the bed.  There will be a total of 10 outlets in the room when we are done, not including the two in the new bathroom.  We are remodeling to make what was our small in-suite bathroom hers.  Even with all of those outlets she still tells us she wants power strips for each one.  There is no reason (in our opinion) for any more than that.  She doesn't need her phone and computer by her bed at bedtime. It keeps her up most nights (texting and calls throughout the night) and then she doesn't want to get out of bed in the morning.

    We take all of SS's electronic equipment out of his room at night.  As well, although they're not teenagers yet, SS and DD have had alarms set since they were 8 and 5 respectively.  That's about the time my parents started my brother and I on the alarm clock.

    Steph, DH was doing that but now he lets her have it because she will argue and argue about it that she's "not two years-old" and he's so tired at the end of the day, he doesn't want to argue.  I know that isn't good, but I am just the step-mom.  BM doesn't want me involved in things like that.

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  • imageClassicoyote:
    imagesteph141:
    imageClassicoyote:

    imagehopanka:
    Classic, Just curious why you just dont put more outlets by her bed like she is suggesting, you are remodeling the room anyway...wouldnt that solve the problem?

     

    Her room will have two outlets by the bed.  There will be a total of 10 outlets in the room when we are done, not including the two in the new bathroom.  We are remodeling to make what was our small in-suite bathroom hers.  Even with all of those outlets she still tells us she wants power strips for each one.  There is no reason (in our opinion) for any more than that.  She doesn't need her phone and computer by her bed at bedtime. It keeps her up most nights (texting and calls throughout the night) and then she doesn't want to get out of bed in the morning.

    We take all of SS's electronic equipment out of his room at night.  As well, although they're not teenagers yet, SS and DD have had alarms set since they were 8 and 5 respectively.  That's about the time my parents started my brother and I on the alarm clock.

    Steph, DH was doing that but now he lets her have it because she will argue and argue about it that she's "not two years-old" and he's so tired at the end of the day, he doesn't want to argue.  I know that isn't good, but I am just the step-mom.  BM doesn't want me involved in things like that.

    HUGS, HUGS, HUGS, HUGS, HUGS!  I hear ya.  Honestly, I do NO parenting of SS anymore because of all the battles.  He has to respect my rules when it's just us, but outside of that, it was too traumatizing for the whole family.  I'm just lucky that this was an issue my DH was willing to stand up for. 

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  • My 13 year old gets up before the alarm clock but my almost 16 year old sometimes has trouble. Last year he couldn't get up for anything, he slept through his alarm clock so many times. He is so much better t his year.

    His brother would sometimes call him in the morning if he slept late. No one told him to, he's just that kind of kid.

     

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