Her kids won't wake up for school

[Stiletto]

My friend's two kids, aged 11 and 14, won't wake up for school without her ending up yelling and threatening to to take everything out of their rooms if they don't get up and get ready! They also play tag team on who is "sick" this week. She falls for that one all the time, no matter how much I reminder her that as long as they're not contagous or have a newly broken bone, kids should go to school. I've also suggested that she have the principal or teacher discuss with them the importance of school. They're getting plenty of sleep, though she does let them stay up late once in a while (probably too often).

Any of you parents have suggestions for waking up recalcitrant children?

 

[John Picard]

Yes, tell her to get a backbone and kick some ass. Jeez my mother raised four boys and was told by our father NOT to take any shit from us. When she said "MOVE", you did so and you did so quickly.

Let me guess, your friend molly-coddled these kids their whole lives?

 

[Lindley]

If you put bright lights over their beds, it becomes difficult for them to remain asleep when you turn them on.

 

[Spot's Meow]

One of my sisters would never get up in a timely manner for school, so my mom eventually started just leaving without her. She had to find rides from her friends and other ways to get to school. Of course we are all A students and don't like falling behind because of missing class, so she will find a way to get to school even if she ends up late every day. But that gets you detention eventually, so she learned to wake up on time.

But if the kids aren't self-motivated at all and don't care about school or getting good grades, I don't know how you would do it.

 

[Terengo]

I used to get a glass of water and flick water into their faces with my fingers. They were not bad kids or bad students; it's just very hard for them to wake up!

If you don't want to use water, get one of those pumps used to blow up those long skinny balloons you can bend into animals. A few blasts of that in the face works just as well as water.

 

[Red Ranger]

Beating them with an elephant-hide belt to wake them up, then saying, "Want to go to school? Or get whpped again?" might help! -- RR

 

[CaptJimboJones]

My friend's two kids, aged 11 and 14, won't wake up for school without her ending up yelling and threatening to to take everything out of their rooms if they don't get up and get ready! They also play tag team on who is "sick" this week. She falls for that one all the time, no matter how much I reminder her that as long as they're not contagous or have a newly broken bone, kids should go to school. I've also suggested that she have the principal or teacher discuss with them the importance of school. They're getting plenty of sleep, though she does let them stay up late once in a while (probably too often).

Any of you parents have suggestions for waking up recalcitrant children?

Your friend shouldn't just threaten to take everything out of their rooms, she should actually do it. Levy some serious, significant punishments (no Xbox or cell phone or whatever it is that the kids love) until they start getting up.

And the most important thing - follow through on the threat. Too many parents - my own Mom, bless her, was terrible about this - yell and threaten punishments but then never actually do it. So soon you learn to just ignore the threats and the parent loses any credibility.

 

[Plecostomus]

If you put bright lights over their beds, it becomes difficult for them to remain asleep when you turn them on.

Works best with four lights.

 

[Garak]

Sounds like she just needs a hankerin' for some spankerin'.

 

[Capn Flukie]

Have you tried My Little Tazer?

 

[Stiletto]

Have you tried My Little Tazer?

Do they come in multiple colors? Pink would be best.

Yes, she doesn't follow through, that's really the problem.

I was thinking of buying her a canned air-horn and have her blow it once or twice to test it while the kids are around, then next time, threaten to use it (but don't, of course)!

Any more suggestions?

 

[hellsgate]

Garden-hose....on FULL BLAST! Just one time. Then, just a smile from the doorway should suffice.

 

[Luckyflux]

Sounds to me like no backbone and no follow through. My girlfriend does the same nonsense as a poster above, she never ever follows through with the threats and the kid ignores her. He knows she won't follow through.

When I tell the kid to do something it gets done right away, because he knows that I won't put up with it. He knows that I follow through with what I say, even if it inconveniences me, I know that I have to follow through with what I said.

Nothing worse than a kid that won't listen. You're crazy if you tolerate that behavior.

As for suggestions, grab all of the covers and take them into your bedroom. Open all the windows, turn the radio on to a station with static then leave the room. Or simply take away the things they like, the cell phone, the Playstation, TV....but you have to follow through and do it!

 

[auntiehill]

Exactly. Follow through or it will never work. Plus, yelling and screaming never works. My loser-sister yells constantly--24/7. No one listens to her; they just shut her out completely. She never follows through and is always complaining, so why should anyone take her seriously?

However, my Mom didn't have to yell. She got so tired of us not cleaning our rooms, she brought in a trash bag and started throwing away anything that was on the floor. That gets the message across pretty quickly.

 

[John Picard]

Sounds to me like no backbone and no follow through. My girlfriend does the same nonsense as a poster above, she never ever follows through with the threats and the kid ignores her. He knows she won't follow through.

When I tell the kid to do something it gets done right away, because he knows that I won't put up with it. He knows that I follow through with what I say, even if it inconveniences me, I know that I have to follow through with what I said.

Nothing worse than a kid that won't listen. You're crazy if you tolerate that behavior.

As for suggestions, grab all of the covers and take them into your bedroom. Open all the windows, turn the radio on to a station with static then leave the room. Or simply take away the things they like, the cell phone, the Playstation, TV....but you have to follow through and do it!

My son has a teacher with that very problem. I had to attend an "Intervention" meeting with the ex-wife, principal, and teachers, because he's on the verge of failing school. This teacher (with a straight face) said, "I give him eight or nine chances to turn in his papers, but he doesn't seem to take me seriously." I was very quiet the entire meeting, while the ex acted like a complete buffoon (trying to laugh, joke, an d buddy up to the teachers), when Madam Dingbat looked at me and said, "Mr Picard, you've been very quiet. Is there anything you'd like to say or any questions you would like to ask?" I looked right at her and said, "You complain that the Son of Picard doesn't take you serious about handing in his assignments, yet in the same breath you mention how you have to ask eight or nine times. All you are is a bag of empty threats and you wonder why he doesn't take you seriously. The answer is simple -- if he doesn't turn in his homework when it's due, he should get a ZERO. No muss, no fuss."

She acted as if I'd said something so profound that all of creation had come to a standstill.

 

[Michael Chris]

I wouldn't be too quick to judge. On one hand it could be a problem related to lack of discipline, on the other it could be a number of other problems such as psychological problems with at least on of the children or the parent. I know I used to not be able to go to school due to anxiety as well as the anxiety causing physical ailments.

 

[Davros]

Not getting up for school was not an option I was given.

 

[Roshi]

Take a boom box, put some Thrash Metal innit and voilà!

 

[Lindley]

Let them sleep in, then invite their entire class to the house to point and laugh?

 

[RandyS]

I'm not a parent myself, but when I was a kid my mom had problems getting my brother out of bed for school. Her solution? She would jump up on his bed and sing and dance until he gave in.