No you cant have that. I said no. 1..... 2..... 3...... get up off the floor. (ignoring the screaming kid) cmon hunny..... use your words...... please stop screaming..... ok, you can have it if you stop yelling.....


HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, Oh that irks me to NO END. This is when you stop the issues. NOT when you are saying, "No you cant borrow the car and stay out till 1am"

Mine did that maybe 3 or 4 times, MAX. We left the store. I said GET UP NOW. If they didnt' listen, I picked them up and we walked out. Oh I only had to do that ONCE with my oldest. 4 times with my 2nd and 2 or 3 with Emily. If it was bad enough, it also came with a swat on the rear.

But it's funny cause now.... if they hear another kid talk back to their parents, their eyes open wide and they just look at me like, "Oh Dear Lord, I would die right now...."

the good thing is my husband comes home with the horror stories. Oh and I share them. All the gorie (SP) details too. I paint the picture for them and I am not kidding, we talk about stuff at LEAST 3 to 4 times a week.

A very smart lady once told me, "sometimes she just wants you to listen and not FIX her problem" You ALL know her cause she's on this message board. I have taken this to heart over the years and now I apply it to her high school life. She tells me stuff and instead of saying, "Well, you should...." I let her talk. Then I ask her, "Well, what will happen now?" or "What are you going to do?" And I let her figure it out. Of course I put in what I think, but what it's done is made her think for herself. when things come up that I am NOT there, she knows how to make decisions for herself.

that smart lady helped me alot at that time and I am forever grateful for that.

Actions do speak so much louder than words. I had a horrific experience with my oldest when she was young. It was a Friday night and we were living in Portland Maine, getting ready for a snow storm to hit, so I stopped at the grocery store on the way home from daycare to stock up since we were to be snowed in for the weekend. My oldest wanted a donut and I said no. She threw the biggest temper tantrum I've ever witnessed, mind you ...it's Friday night on the verge of a storm...all 15 checkout lanes are open and at least 4 people deep. It was mortifying to say the least. I ended up leaving my cart at the register full of items as I carried a kicking, screaming 3 year old out of the store, getting "those looks". My husband had to go back and get our groceries! I tell that story to her these days and she just cries she feels so bad. She was just a baby who wanted a donut, but No means No and I had to follow through!

Now she's a great 16 year old with a very good head on her shoulders. I'm in awe of my children and what they have accomplished already in their lives! OC Mom - I love the advise of "sometimes they want you to just listen"....I'm going to remember that when tough subjects come up.

OK, SO YOU THINK YOUR KID ISN'T DOING IT FOR YOUR BENEFIT????

I love that video - the 1st time I saw that was on AFV, laughed by butt off!

This is all so true. I didn't realize until recently kids text each other in movie theaters (during the movie!) and often in classrooms. But it's extremely difficult to withhold technology from your kids in today's world. I understand you don't want to give them too much, but you also don't want them to feel left out or feel like an outcast (been there, it causes other problems, trust me). Now movies you can't do anything about, but classrooms -- if I were an instructor I would make them put their cellphones on top of their desk where I could see them. Maybe that's easier said than done. There are advantages to today's technology -- we can contact our kids anytime we want (that certainly wasn't the case when we were growing up)! Kids are great at multi-tasking and have impressive computer skills.  True they talk to others less, but in some ways they communicate more, just not in the way we're used to.

We make our kids pay for a lot of the gadgets they feel they have to have (we supply the basics, but if they want the bells and whistles, it's coming out of their pocket). That's one way to support them without giving them too much.

-- Edited by AbbyByTheBay at 08:50, 2007-05-15

Oh it definetley does when your kids are old enough and mature enough to use them. My 14 year old gets in way to much trouble on the internet via "my space" I wish they would just illiminate that darn web site. She has learned her lesson (I think) and has stayed off of it but I can only image how many other parents are experiencing the same problems. I do agree when there are older I can see the benefits.

A phone is a must for me.  I have to be able to reach family.  So we all have one.  What was everyone doing before cell phones?  Did it make you day longer because you could not make those quick calls during the day.  Just wondering.  It has become a necessity especially once you get one.  Hmm do you remember before cell phones.  Stories anyone?