Alarm Clock *%#$*!

In an effort to get Katherine more efficient and responsible, we've enforced the use of the alarm clock. Her alarm goes off, she climbs down from the loft to turn it off and thereby has control of managing her morning.

Granted this only began a couple weeks ago but it's been going well. For too long, say, since she's started school, I've woken her up in the mornings. That has led to an uncomfortable dependence, one that led her to need me to come in several times in a morning, like a living snooze button, and one that led her to blame me if she woke up late, didn't have enough time to primp, never makes it for breakfast, missed the bus, etc. etc. It was All My Fault, because in my position as "living alarm clock" if she didn't get up it wasn't her fault. And what makes this arrangement more uncomfortable is that she doesn't wake up happy. When I functioned as "living snooze button" she became crankier and crankier each time I came in to say Wake Up and gave her the time. We were all cranky pretty much every morning.

Wow, writing all that out really puts me in the light of "living alarm clock doormat," doesn't it?

Now, some of you are saying "What is up with that? My kid has been waking himself/herself up with an alarm clock since they learned to tell time." Well, consider this another personal failure as a parent. I still make their lunches and until the alarm clock thing I would gather up her school books, flute, lunch box and put it all by the front door for her. Yeah, I created this dependency.

I said it was going well. Yesterday I noticed her alarm clock was on low battery so I replaced them and... still low battery blinking and I couldn't get the light on, change the time, nothing. Time for a new alarm clock, this one is about 4-5 years old which shouldn't mean anything but for whatever reason it's dead. I asked Ian if she could use his just for today but he said he needed it for work. Fine, I figured one morning of getting her up again would be OK.

Today dawned and at 7 a.m. I woke her up, she spoke to me, I moved on. I woke Rebecca then went off to make lunches. That was when I realized Ian's alarm never rang, he'd forgotten to set it for himself and my cell phone alarm was the only one that went off. So... that irritated me. Becca gets herself together, no problem. All it takes is a tap on her door or turning on her light and she gets up easily and relatively cheerful.

Becca had breakfast and was waiting for Katherine to come down when the bus went by. Becca missed the bus... Katherine was still in bed. When I went to get her and tried hard not to yell, guess who's fault it was that the "human snooze button" hadn't functioned as she expected? How was she supposed to wake up "on her own," huh??? Didn't I know that she has to be repeatedly woken? Didn't I know that waking her once at 7 didn't cut it??

Becca was anxious, Katherine was cranky, I was irritated. I took them to school and they were tardy. This is why I gave up that role and today reminded me in no uncertain terms that she's getting a new alarm clock ASAP because I'm tired of being blamed for her inability to manage her morning routine.