<p>Starting in high school my kids used an alarm clock until they got cell phones. Then they woke up using their cell phone. I think it’s “cute” that the OP wakes up an 18 year old with a kiss or for you parents that sneak one in once in awhile…but maybe stop if this is routine and make sure your young adult can get himself or herself out of bed before you send them off to college 
For me by the time the boys were 18 and seniors they were no longer “sweet” and had morning beards…and if it wasn’t that – they were in early morning athletic practices or zero hour classes and getting themselves up at 5 AM which is an hour before I need to get up. So, no smothery/mothery stuff for my boys early in the morning :-)</p>
<p>S (15 year old) hits snooze daily. This year, I am happy re-waking him every school morning. After a gentle, quiet, no lights on “good morning,” I threaten to sing unless I see his feet on the floor. That gets him up! Starting next year, I will have him put the alarm clock across the room and set his phone to be a back up. I need to know that he can get himself up reliably because next year (when he can drive) I hope to shift my work earlier so I will have to leave before he does. Older D (a swimmer) was able to get up and ready on her own with no intervention. Swimmers are an efficient and hard working bunch!</p>
<p>^Have you read the stats that swimmers have some of the highest overall GPA’s of all athletes?</p>
<p>I only have one at home now, HS senior. I wake her up, and she asks for 5 more minutes. I usually go away for 5-10 minutes, then come back. I sit on the bed, and sometimes her stuffed animals “help” wake her up. It is a nice couple of minutes every day, I will miss it when she is gone. When she is away at summer programs or at her dad’s, she uses an alarm clock or her phone. So I know she can do it on her own when she needs to.</p>
<p>If she has a tough day ahead (like last week when our furnace went out overnight on Friday AND she had a tournament on Saturday that I knew she was dreading attending), I make chocolate chip pancakes for her on a breakfast-in-bed tray. Yup, I am a softie.</p>
<p>In high school, I got myself up with an alarm clock. In my last two years, I was the last one to leave the house, and I was all about getting as much sleep as possible, so I definitely did not want my mother waking me up! I was never once late, either.</p>
<p>When I was younger, my mom would burst into my room and start singing “Good morning star shine! The earth says helloooo!” Strangely enough, even though she hasn’t done that in years, that was one of the first things I missed the most during those first few weeks of being away at college. :)</p>
<p>My story isn’t nearly as pleasant as anyone else’s. My son, who is now in college, refused to set an alarm clock throughout high school and most mornings I was in a bad mood before I ever left for work. I tried LOTS of things, and realize I could have let him miss several days of school because he didn’t get up, but I did not go that route. He spent multiple summers at camp and college programs, and never missed a class, but it was almost like his way of rebelling to force me to wake him up. And of course I was too loud, or not loud enough, or too early… No fond memories of his high school mornings. Now I wake up and hear the shower running for my younger son. He gets himself up and into the shower. I often make him a very simple breakfast, but if I don’t he will simply make it himself. Our mornings are definitely easier to get through with my younger son.</p>
<p>When they were young, I used to not only wake them up, but carry each one downstairs (from their 3rd floor bedrooms to the kitchen). Since I’d be going off to work soon, it was my way of holding them, loving them. I’d tell S “tuck your wings in” and he would obediently fold in his arms and elbows.</p>
<p>persona3 – that is so beautiful – your mom, singing to you. Mine would bring me coffee. She knew I’d been up 'til 2 am the night before.</p>
<p>S had the sonic alarm clock with the shaker under his pillow. I was truly afraid he would never learn to wake up on his own.
My treatment for a client one time was an agreement that the wife would pour a glass of ice water on him after the alarm went off if he did not get up. And that he would change the sheets. I worked like magic.
My S was told the same and between that (would have gladly done) and the sonic alarm he did ok for years. Then when he had 8 am classes at college one semester it took the the Dean’s intervention to change his schedule for him to pull through. groan.
Breakfast burrito: Scambled eggs, warm tortilla (corn or flour) both sides melting chedder on second, chopped tomatoes, chopped avacado, salt and salsa.</p>
<p>I have two kids, one now a senior in college, one a freshman, both are still home. S goes back tomorrow, D a week from tomorrow. They are pretty much opposites in the morning. I am a morning person and so is S, H and D are night owls. It’s my job to wake up everyone. It has always been my job.</p>
<p>S likes a 15 minute warning. For example, go in at 6:30, turn on hallway light and tell him he has 15 minutes. Then at 6:45 I go back, turn on the bedroom light, and tell him it’s time to get up. He gets up and is immediately pleasant.</p>
<p>D, on the other hand: repeated visits and pleadings. In HS I had our dog trained to wake her up - he’s a “heavy breather” and completely annoying. Would run to her room and jump in her bed on command. Usually had to physically remove her from the bed by dragging her to the floor. She’s taller than I am.</p>
<p>She’s done okay in college. My biggest fear was whether she would ever wake up in time in the morning. Has 3 alarm clocks that she places in different locations of her room, sets them for different times, and changes where they are daily. She has a Clocky for one of the alarm clocks:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.uncommongoods.com/product/clocky-alarm-clocks[/url]”>http://www.uncommongoods.com/product/clocky-alarm-clocks</a></p>
<p>H isn’t quite as bad as D, but almost. Lots of nagging/repeated visits. I sometimes turn the radio to a station he finds incredibly irritating.</p>
<p>Several years ago, when D was in junior high and S in elementary school, we found out the house we were renting was being sold and had 30 days notice to move. At the time both walked to school. We couldn’t find anything in the neighborhood, so were no longer within walking distance. I took D to school in the morning since the location was just a few blocks from my work place and she had to be there before my work day started. H took S to elementary school, which started later, and which fit in with his work schedule. I didn’t realize until S’s next report card came out that H was always running late and S had a ridiculous amount of tardies! Glad he was in elementary school and didn’t get in trouble because of it.</p>
<p>D is a very sound sleeper and not a morning person. The deal is that if she is not awake and ready for school (completely on her own) without parent intervention, she takes the bus to school. She hasn’t taken the bus to school, since elementary school!</p>
<p>We’re kinda like #3. Alarms. Snooze buttons. More alarms, more snooze buttons, panic, shouting, etc.</p>
<p>I grew up with six sibs and have not-so-fond memories of Mom marching down the hall yelling, “EVERYBODY UP AND AT 'EM! GET YOUR LAZY BUTTS OUT OF BED!!” If that didn’t work, she’d rip the covers off of us. And it was cold. 
I still hate mornings.
My s-i-l is from a family with 12 kids. She told me that her mom woke them up, calling each of their names sweetly and taking orders for breakfast. She actually made each child breakfast to order (limited choices, of course–but things like eggs, bacon, pancakes, french toast) every day! I have 7 kids, and must admit that I’m more like MY mom that s-i-l’s mom. I only fix breakfast for the youngest two–and that means putting bread or bagel in the toaster/pouring milk on cheerios/microwaving oatmeal.</p>
<p>My D is an earlier riser than I am so it is more likely that she wakes me up. She started setting her alarm and getting up on her own in middle school. Thankfully, she’s never had trouble getting up.</p>
<p>I use an alarm clock in college but I can be a heavy sleeper when I’m tired so I also set my phone alarm except ill set it multiple times for a few consecutive minutes i.e 7:11,7:12,7:13, etc.</p>
<p>S bought himself an electronic vacuum cleaner and I believe he uses it as a supplemental alarm. He also sets the alarm on his phone. He has used this system since he moved into an apartment his sophomore year of college. As a freshman, he just used his cell phone. I believe D uses her cell phone alarm as well. I generally do NOT wake either child any more, as they generally are 2500 to 5000 miles away. When they visit, I usually let them wake themselves, as I don’t know their schedules.</p>
<p>I have never woken my kids with kisses, but that does sound very sweet. I’m lucky if I can wake them at all, but nowadays, if they NEED to be somewhere, they somehow manage to get there mostly on time.</p>
<p>I’m too grouchy in the morning to wake up older teen kids so I sometimes think my kids’ ability to get themselves up and going in the morning had alot to do with NOT having to deal with me first thing in the morning.</p>
<p>Getting my kids up has never really been an issue at our house. I fondly remember summer mornings when my kids were small- they’d get up before me, run into the bedroom, jump on the bed and snuggle up. One would turn on Sesame Street on the bedroom TV, and I’d wake up to the rumblings of Oscar the Grouch.
When they were older and had to be somewhere in the morning, they’ve always used alarm clocks, and later cell phones. My memories are of waking to the sound of their showers throughout high school. Can you see who the morning slacker is in our family?</p>
<p>I’ve been expected to get up on my own since fourth grade, although my father would be up at that time and my sisters and I always tried to get up when expected because we didn’t want to be yelled at by him, lol. My mom never made breakfast and we never cared. We knew we had to get up earlier if we wanted to eat or we’d grab a banana and go wait for the bus. </p>
<p>My 4th grade sister is a struggle, however. She gets up but it’s usually a fight.</p>
<p>Even through high school, my mom would come into my room, open the curtains, and sing “Oh let the sun shine in! Face it with a grin. Smilers never lose and frowners never win. Oh let the sun shine in! Face it with a grin. Open up your heart and let the sun shine in!” I thought it was sappy and begged her to stop when I was older, but it’s a good memory.</p>
<p>Nowadays, I admit I’m one of the softies. I battled with older son about getting up and he was grumpy (though doing great on his own in college) but DS14 is a pleasure to wake with hugs and kisses. He does have an alarm, which he can and does use, but last week was finals and he asked me to again wake him up with the kisses and hugs. I cook a hot breakfast for him every morning, as my mom did for me. And I admit, I pack his lunch.</p>