Now that school has started for the year in many places, parents everywhere are starting to deal with teens who won't get out of bed in the morning. Depending on where you live, it may be quite early that your child has to wake up.
In Maine, it's not unusual for teens to have to catch a bus by 6:30AM. And no teenager I know is excited to crawl out bed early enough to get ready. Especially the girls who take the time to ensure they look perfect before walking out the door.
One of the best ways to get kids motivated to get up and get going in the morning is with a behavior management contract. After all, getting up early is a part of life for most us and it's good to teach teens to behave responsibly and get up early, even on days when they don't feel like it.
Bypact is a website that allows parents to create an electronic contract with teens. It can be an excellent tool to give teens some extra motivation to drag themselves out of bed.
You can make their privileges contingent on their ability to get up and get out of the house on time. For example, create a contract that says if you set your own alarm and get yourself out of bed by a certain time each day all week, on the weekends you can earn a specific privilege.
See my interview with the creator of Bypact to see if it could be a helpful tool to motivate your teen.