We've entered into the realm of BFFs... and cat fights.. and phone calls.. and tears. SHE'S NINE! When I was nine, I was still playing with my Smurf figures and Barbies. I had a curfew, I had a bedtime. I had RULES that I needed to follow or there would be hell to pay. We all knew it. That is just how it was.
I am raising my kid the same way. In before its dark (7:30pm now - as the sun stays up longer, we adjust it). Bedtime on school nights in 9pm. Dinner is at around 5:30pm. If its nice out, get out of the house and go play. There is no sleeping over on school nights. If I say its time to go home, that means it is time to go home. Somehow, I am the only mom in the neighborhood that has set these kinds of basic rules. Yes.. I am that mom who .. enforces the rules. Most of the girls the kid hangs out with have no bedtime. I see one drag her sorry butt to the bus stop every morning. She's out of school more than she is in.. or she's late. One other girl asked Erin to "beg" me to let her go and play when we got home from Dance. Homework wasn't done, she needed a shower and it was dark already. It was PAST CURFEW. She wanted Erin to BREAK THE RULES. Not to mention this girl was pissed when she called Erin to come over and Erin was out. Its like "how dare she go play with someone else".. really? And when she called, it was at 5:20pm.. on normal days, that's dinner time. Thursdays its time to leave to for Dance. Did she not understand that Erin couldn't come out to play? And she called my cell phone 10 times. And to boot, she never left a message. Not one. Do these kids not know phone etiquette? Leave me a freaking message!!
This drama should be occurring in a few years. Not now. I am proud of my kid too. She refused to break the rules. She knew if she did, there would be consequences. She voiced her opinion too to this one girl on how she saw the situation and how she was being treated (the 3rd wheel in most cases. ignored). Golden Rule Kids.... Treat others as you would want to be treated. This is something these kids don't do. Its all about 1)who has the most Monster High Dolls.
2) who has the newest MH doll
3) who can spend the night the most
4) who has a cell phone
As a mom, I look at what is going on and have to make a decision. Do I butt in? Do I rescue her? Do I let it play out? I hope I have armed her with enough common sense to do the right thing. I need to make sure there is chocolate in the house to help mend some wounds.
2 comments:
no you don't butt in, you let E take the lessons your have given her, and trained her, and let her make her decisions, and pray they are right. and then you talk about it with her, explaining if necessary. which you know, because you are a good mom. that's what I don't look forward to, trying to explain to G that these are OUR rules and not everyone has the same rules but these are the onese we adhere to, whether you like it or not. I'm proud of E too... it is easy to fall into the pressure of little friends and she seems to have the ability to fend off the stupid. yay!
I let her make the choice on this one.. I just voiced my concern and she understood. We'll see what happens this coming week
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