Nope, it’s not a smartphone.
Or a dumphone.
Or an iPad/Kindle/iPod/Nook/Surface/laptop/Fire/DS/Smartwatch or any other of the multitude of devices that they may already have.
If your child is over the age of 5, they need an alarm clock.
I don’t care if it’s digital or analog, battery-operated or electric, with radio or without. The key is that it NOT have a docking station for any other device. Which leads to the main point here…
Whether my child was 5 or 15, I’ve kept the electronic devices out of the bedroom. When I tell people that this has always been the rule in my house, I’m frequently met with blank stares.
But they need it as an alarm clock. Keep reading for alternatives. I swear alarm clocks are still a real thing.
But they need it for studying. Really?? Have you seen a child multi-task lately? Mine can watch a movie, play a video game and Snapchat with several people (about the homework, of course) all at the same time.
Why do I feel so strongly about this? It’s mostly about sleep. And that giant magnetic pull that our devices have on all of us. We all need time to rest, recoup, and recharge. If you want proof, you can read this and this and this. I won’t go down the social media rathole, but kids also need a sanctuary away from the constant barrage of beautiful-people-posting-amazing-moments.
Which leads us back to the alarm clock. If your kid needs something to wake him in the morning, let that be a single-purpose alarm clock that won’t instantly pull him into another world. Don’t let the need for an alarm clock lead to these palm-sized supercomputers finding their way onto their nightstand. I can guarantee that the Alarm app will not be the only one used overnight. While I’m not naive enough to think my rules have never been broken, it remains a solid rule night after night.
Where do you buy an alarm clock? They are definitely harder to find than they used to be, but Amazon and Target and lots of other retailers still usually have one or two tucked in their warehouses or shelves. I’m sure a good second-hand store has a nice stock as well.
And, if your child has NEVER in his life needed a wakeup call, I’m sorry as I’m sure you have the dark undereye circles to prove it. Or, maybe, your the mama that still wakes her child up every day. My son once told me he preferred the mamalarm to the loudalarm. That’s fine too, but when the day comes, just buy a clock.
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