Wake up!

We're convinced our son will sleep through college.

Thanks to the medications he takes and his typical teen sleep cycle (stay up late, sleep late), he sleeps through his alarm clock, cell phone alert, and my exasperated "get up!". Only when I literally push him out of bed does he finally show some small sign of consciousness. We are way past the time I should be getting him up, but letting him be tardy for school wouldn't help. He'd just oversleep again. And again.

He's worried, too.

So we're researching alarm clocks. Evidently, he's not alone in this. Several helpful blogs directed us to websites with products for the deaf and hard of hearing. Some of the products seem silly. A few seem punitive. Most fall into one of three categories:

1. Clocks that make noise, flash the lights, and shake you out of bed:

• Clarity WAKE ASSURE Alarm Clock with Bed Shaker and Lamp Flasher.

2. Clocks that make you perform some stupid trick to turn off the blasted thing: 

• Crazy Flying Helicopter Alarm Clock - the rotor flies off and away until you catch it and put it back.
• Clocky - runs around the room until you catch it and turn it off.
• Laser Target Alarm Clock - you have to hit the target with a laser device to turn it off (just try that when you're foggy with sleep)

3. Clocks that are really, really, REALLY LOUD.

• Sonic Boom Alarm Clock - at 113db, this would scare anyone out of bed. (A jackhammer is 100db).
• Screaming Meanie Alarm - I think the name says it all.

Now we get to try one on for size. Which means the entire family will hear the alarm. And the neighbors. And dogs in the next street over.

But if it gets him up on his own, it'll be worth it.