Thursday, January 15, 2009

They start early these days.....

My daughter is 7 yrs old but she thinks that she is 17 yrs old. This is a problem sometimes. Lately she has been having a teenish attitude and it was just draining me. I hate fighting with her. Last week I made up a chore chart that included her regular chores plus things like use manners and no attitude. It was a great week and I was so impressed that my idea worked. Piece of cake. Life got busy, I got lazy and didn't make up this weeks chart. Its a printable from online and I printed it out but never filled in her 'chores'. Big mistake, apparently. From the time I picked her up yesterday she was pushing my buttons left and right.

(2 seconds in the car from after-school pickup)
M: my foot hurts, I'm going to take off my sock
Mom: No, don't do that we will be home in a little bit (live 5 mins away)
*we drive 100 feet*
M: OK, its been a little bit now
OMG, with the literal.
M: it's only 3:53 and you don't pick me up until 4pm
Mom: I pick you up as soon as I get off work, there is not set time
M: well cant you go to the library or something
Mom: would you prefer that I leave you at daycare from the time they open until the time they close?
M: No.
I begin to realize that the night is not going to be pleasant.

I could continue on because this attitude of hers lasted an hour but I will spare you because some of you have little kids so I don't want to scare you. lol We were supposed to participate in a school fundraiser tonight but that was taken away. There was tears, she wrote me a note with "I am sorry" written 15 times, I started to feel like I over reacted and got mommy guilt (hate that!), and then she begged to go to the fundraiser and I told her I would think about my decision. This morning I told her that we were not going and that she needs to think about what she is saying before she says it so that we can avoid this attitude stuff. Not the answer she wanted to hear. She thought it would be best to not talk to me for the rest of the morning. I realized that I made the right decision regarding not going.

I hope she is just getting this out of her system before shes a teen. If not, there will be fun times ahead. I will need a massive amount of Xanax or alcohol or morphine or a vacation that lasts a couple years. Something.

2 comments:

~~Mel~~ said...

We always think it's a phase...but I'm beginning to believe those parents that tell you 'it gets better as they get older' are all LIARS...big fat ones! lol.

7 year olds all seem to have huge attitudes...makes me want to bring back those 'terrible twos'...at least then they couldn't talk back (at least not the way they do now).

Anonymous said...

oh...the argumentative phase. We're SO there....I feel your pain.