The girls are gounded again. Their previous grounding had just ended today. The last grounding was for coming home at almost 9PM. They were supposed to be back at 6PM, when the street lights come on. They got to eat a cold dinner that night. Oldest had her cell phone taken away and no phone/tv privelages for the week for both.
But of course they just couldn't help themselves but get in trouble again today. This time Dad took over and the former Army came out in him. The raised voice, the glare, the finger wagging. He's not yelling he is just speaking in a tone of voice so that there is no misunderstanding. All that. This time they got grounded for taking both downstairs phones upstairs in their rooms and being in our room, letting the dogs in our room and the dogs pooped in our closet and the girls just tossed a bath towel over it.
They are grounded from the phones and tv again and have extra chores.
The future defense attorney in our youngest came out. She made the tragic error of trying to debate Dad. She shouldn't be grounded because she does alot of things around the house, she gets good grades, and for the most part does what she is told.
Truth be told, she does do alot around the house and does what she is told. Her grades are spectacular as well. And then she began laying out all of the things her sister didn't do.
That didn't go over well with Dad. Our rule in the house is that you don't debate Mom and Dad when you are in trouble and you don't ever throw your sister under the bus. She did both.
So now in addition to doing extra chores, they have to do these chores together and if they fight, the grounding just lasts longer.
The older my girls get, the more they seem to get in trouble. When they were little, it was things like: oldest eating spoonfulls of butter, coloring on each other, the walls, or the dog. One time oldest tried to feed the fish.... butter. (the fish survived). Or playing hair salon with real scissors and butter. (My kids had a fascination with butter when they were little)
Now that they are older, can talk, can read, and are almost as tall as me. They can mutter under the breathe (not a good thing since I am hard of hearing. All I hear is whisper..mutter..stupid..not fair) And being girls EVERY thing is a major crisis or drama.
As much as I love my girls growing up and getting older. I wish sometimes I could go back to the toddler stage. I would take coloring on the walls over a hormone filled soon be teenager. But then again reasoning with a toddler and a teenager are about the same thing. Both stomp their feet and screech "Its not fair!" And that's just me. (just kidding) All it took when they were toddlers was a 5 minute time out.
If only dealing with tweens and teens was as easy.
3 comments:
I debated with my parents all the time when I was younger. My dad decided to enroll me in debate in high school. Best and worst decision he made :-)
Good luck with them! I taught a couple of classes at the middle school last year (public speaking/debate ironically enough) and the tween years are tough!
Yeah, my son is awful when he's in trouble. He was actually pretty good as a toddler. But now that he's hit 7, yikes!
My daughter is 2 and she's a handful. I don't remember my son being this demanding at her age.
I am visiting from sits!
Oh the things I have to look forward too in my parenting adventure.
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