Kids: Do you wake them up or do they get themselves up for school? sm

I've told our 16-year-old now junior in high school that she can set her alarm clock and get herself up in the morning and out the door for school, on time, this year, and if she fails to get up on time and is late for school she will lose privileges with them increasing for each time she is late.  

What about your kids?  How old are they?  Are they responsible for getting themselves up in the morning and if so, at what age did they start doing this? 

• Kids: Do you wake them up or do they get themselves up for school? sm - Georgia Gal
  • Mine slept through fire alarm - LK
  • kids - sm
    • It is completely opposite in my house - trose
      • Did you have to point it out to her? - LOL - nm
        • I practically had to draw her a map. LOL nm - trose
      • kids... - sm
        • You go girl on the laundry....sm - Momof2
          • kids... - sm
    • That's for sure and something I hear over and over. Boys - are just a whole different creature. nm
  • Half and half - jmr
  • I've gotten them all up for years, including the hubs. Should have - given it up years ago. Kids in college now. NM
  • I have been considering a cattle prodder to get mine up (just kidding) sm - Mom of 4
    • Here's what I'd try....sm - Momof2
    • My 16yr old son has been getting himself up - trose
  • Waking Up for School - LinK

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1.  What ages are your kids? 16yo DS and 18yo DD  (and 21yo DS)

2.  Do they have their own cell phone? Yes, 16yo has a tracfone and 18 yo DD has a Go phone

3.  Do they have their own TV and or computer in their room?  If so, are there set hours they're allowed to use these:  No.  We have 1 good computer we all 5 used to share, but that is mostly DD's now that DH and I each got lap tops and oldest DS built a desk top for youngest DS for Christmas.  Oldest DS also has a lap top that he bought himself.  Nobody has a TV in their room, not even the grown ups.  No time limits on use at their ages, but they don't spend near as much time on the 'puters as they did when they were younger.

4. Do they receive an allowance?  If so, are they required to do chores to receive this?  They all have jobs, but the youngest 2 get $5 a week for bringing in wood for the wood stove and burning the trash.  Plus youngest DS gets extra here and there for all the help he gives his dad and grandfather on the farms.  Their room are their own business at this point.  I just put the laundry on the bed and keep the doors closed. 

Our boys sound a lot alike.  My son was first diagnosed with ADHD, then nonverbal learning disorder, then Aspergers, although the school does not see the Aspergers being a true diagnosis.  He has always been in mainstream classes as he is academically very smart.  We started out with a 504, then went to IEP but he is not in any special ed classes.  His testing scores are in the high average and superior range and he is reading at an 11th grade level in the 6th grade.  I held off on the IEP for about a year because I was so afraid of the stigma associated with it.  No matter how common it is these days, once kids learn someone has an IEP, they're thought of as one of "those" kids and I didn't want him to go through that.  He has been on medication after medication and nothing seems to work in the long run.  We have tried trials of him off the meds but within 2 or 3 days we're getting phone calls from the school asking if he has taken his meds that morning because he is having such a rough time concentrating and focusing.  Not only is he very smart, he is also a remarkable athlete in hockey, baseball, golf and basketball and making the all star sport teams.  He's a great kid with a big heart, but he just doesn't seem to fit in with anybody.  I feel his main problem is with social skills and I have been asking for him to see the guidance counselor at school on a regular basis which has not been happening.  We live in a very rural area and there are only 18 students in his 6th grade class.  They have all been together for the last 6 years and know one another quite well, and by this time the "class order" so to speak is set.  There are two boys who seem to be the tough guys and the leaders that everyone follows.  Unfortunately, my son is on the bottom of the order and is singled out constantly because of his quirkiness.  They will do everything they can to get a rise out of him and think its funny when he reacts.  This has been going on for the last 2 years, this year being the worst.

I realize ADHD is common now.  My son's teacher told me that about half of the class is ADHD but we are not allowed to know who those students are, we can only speculate.  My point is, my son has now been singled out by his teacher telling his classmates he has ADHD so in my mind she violated his privacy rights and has made him more vulnerable to harrassment by kids who are cruel.  Am I right or am I wrong?  He is already being bullied and this will only give them more ammunition to target him.  Already today someone called my son a "sped", meaning special education, although he isn't in special education so this kid has no clue.  Admittedly my son doesn't stand up for himself and he just takes it because he wants to fit in so badly.  But he is hurting and will get very emotional when we talk about it at home.  My husband and I have had enough and it has got to the breaking point.  My husband wants to talk to a lawyer but I'm not sure if that is the way to go.  I told the teacher on the phone tonight I would like to come in to confront the class and single out each one of the kids that are the worst, naming them in front of their classmates and cause them humiliation and embarrassment.  She said that would probably make things worse, which I agree with.  Besides I know I wouldn't be allowed to do that anyway.

Here is it is.... January 30th and since January 1st I've been asked by my 16-year-old for:

$90 for a graphing calculator for the calculus class

$85 for school yearbook  (and price goes up 2/1 by $15..she didn't tell me any of this until now)

$30 for hoodie for yearbook club

$15  for drama t-shirt for spring production... which she has exactly 2 lines in and will not be on the stage any other time.

Total:  $220.

I bought the calculator as it was necessary and I know she'll use it again in college.  I've offered to pay half of the yearbook if she'll raise the other half.  For the shirts I've told her to raise the money herself.  The drama team is also looking to possibly go to New York for a few days to take in shows in May and gosh only knows what that would cost... if it gets approved.

She doesn't work and says if she gets a part-time job then she can't do the drama production as they practice 3 days a week until 8 p.m. .... well hello she has only 2 lines in it and isn't even in any other scenes.

I told her to get a job or start offering to babysit for money.  I'm tired of being nickel-and-dimed to death for fru-fru non-essential expenses.... especially since we just spent $700 on car repairs and $250 for surgery on the dog (abscess on foot - she stepped on something at some point and messed herself up) and medical bills are coming in from my husband's numerous medical tests he had in November.    I'm not going to pay for her to go to New York either when that would probably take out entire family vacation money for the summer. Once those numbers come in we'll offer to pay a portion of the cost but that's it.

She also insists she wants to go to college out of state, and her dad and I have also told her she has to figure out how to pay for that because we're not going in debt for that when she can get a free education from the lottery in our state by going to a state school.  She doesn't do any volunteer work, play sports or have any special talents that would qualify her for scholarships. 

I told her that it's time to grow up and realize there is no money tree in our back yard, and I'm not going to bust my butt working extra jobs to buy these things for her. 

1.  What ages are your kids?

2.  Do they have their own cell phone?

3.  Do they have their own TV and or computer in their room?  If so, are there set hours they're allowed to use these:

4. Do they receive an allowance?  If so, are they required to do chores to receive this?

As for our house, here's the answers.  Kids are 15 and 8.  15-year-old has a cell phone and pays her bill.  15-year-old has a TV.  The kids share 1 PC that is where we can see what they're doing on it, and they're limited to no more than an hour a day on it if it's a school day.  We do have parental controls in place.  They don't receive an allowance but they are aware of a special chores list that they can choose to do extra things around the house to make money.  They are required to keep their rooms and bathrooms cleaned, as well as alternate cleaning up the kitchen after dinner.

I, too, live in a very rural area -- farming community just like yours.  My husband was working late that night and I was home alone with the kids.  My road isn't quite a dead end, but it doesn't get traveled often since it turns into a dirt lane and there's no winter maintenance on it.  I never really heard much traffic that night.  I did hear a few gunshots, but just figured it was my goofy neighbor shooting target practice.  He does that all the time.  The next morning as I pulled onto the main road (about 2 miles from my house), I noticed an ambulance heading in.  No sirens or lights.  I thought it was rather odd since there's no firehouse on that road.  I went to work that day and thought nothing of it. 

I came home from work that night and noticed a state police car coming out of my road, but didn't pay it much attention.  When I got home, my answering machine was lit up like the 4th of July.  My phone was ringing as I walked in.  Everyone wanted to know what was going on on my lane.  I had no clue but didn't have time to ask any questions b/c someone was knocking on my door.  I hung up the phone and answered the door to a state trooper wanting to ask me some questions. 

He wanted to know if I noticed anything unusual last night.  I said no.  Any traffic?  Not more than usual.  Any loud noises?  Just my neighbor shooting his guns.  What time was that?  About 9:30 or 10:00.  That's where the story gets interesting.

Apparently 2 vehicles met at the top of my lane for a drug deal that went seriously wrong.  The one couple shot the other couple and left them for dead.  They then proceeded back down my lane and up the road about a mile where the girl stopped at my friend's house to use the phone.  Not knowing her, they didn't let her in but brought the phone outside for them to use.  After using the phone, they sped off down the road.  The next morning, some hunters found the dead couple and called 911. 

This all happened just 2 days after Christmas.  Needless to say, I lost my sitter for New Year's that year.  I agree about locking your doors, but more than anything I believe your dogs saved your life.  I'm not an animal lover, but I sure do love my dog.  She barks anytime someone comes on our property.  She's not mean (a retriever/lab mix) but she is very alert.  She's the best security system out there. 

sore because my jaw clamps down on my tongue and sores on my cheeks from biting them.  I would also have an aching jaw for weeks at a time that required mountains of Motrin and muscle relaxers.  I finally went to the dentist and now have an acrylic mouthguard I wear at night.  I hated it at first, but boy does my jaw feel better.  No more aching, no more trouble chewing, no more sores on my cheeks and tongue!  Cost me $300 for the mouthguard cause my insurance wouldn't pay, but it was worth every penny!

Go to your dentist!

I would think that some of the $12,000 A YEAR he paid in support for over 9 years should have been enough to save some for college. He paid his dues so to speak, always paid the support on time, had insurance for them, etc. He told them straight up to pay for their own college. Is there something wrong with that?

Okay, I have been doing this for 8 years.  I think I should be more productive than I am for that much experience.  I only do between 1200 to 1300 lines a day.  I am also just so tired of it.  Today, the hospital's network is very very slow and that certainly doesn't help me and I have to make up the time while my kids are at home which is not very easy...KWIM.  Again, just tired of it.

There is a job opening available at DD. elemetry school about an elementry teacher aide.  It has no specific qualifications just send resume to the superintendent.  Well, I looked online and it seems the basic requirements are HS diploma, good understanding of children, good physical condition.  I match that.  I am a mother of 2, my 5 yo was at the top of her class last year (might be a good qualification for me), I referreed fights etc., supervised dd and her friends on outings, babysat school age kids.

I am just thinking of things that might qualify me for the job.  I have kept this job for 8 years, the job before that was 6 years as a nurses aide at another hospital so longevity might be a plus.  I have never worked anywhere except a hospital.  Well, I did work for an MTSO for a short time, 6 months. 

There is a number I could call.  It is voice mail.  I was going to call and ask exactly what are they looking for so I would know whether or not to bother with it but I am not very good at asking for something I need.  Any suggestions, comments.  TIA. 

Best friend's boyfriend at that time and I absolutely could not stand him!

Then we ended up kind of *stuck* together when we went out with a group of friends. Somehow we just clicked and from that first night, I knew we were going to be together forever! That night while all the other couples were making out like crazy, he and I just sat on a playground slide and talked. Then at the end of the night, he kissed me on the cheek...I knew right then I was hooked. We've been married 21 years, have 3 children, and are expecting our first grandchild in August!!! Aww, whatta love story

Well, I didn't say the ONLY place to find teachers who care is at a church school, and I certainly don't believe that.  I do think your chances of finding them in a church school are a whole lot higher, however.  I didn't intend to create a religious argument either.  I was genuinely interested in why you would not want your children in a church school.