Grounded... for life???

I spent most of my senior year in high school grounded. I was one of those kids who had the uncanny knack for pushing the rage button of my parents. It isn't that I was evil; I was quite normal. I got into less trouble than most teens... but I did push that rage button effectively!

My mother always said that teens are difficult to live with for a reason. If we were pleasant our parents would never want us to move out. God has a special way of helping us leave the nest -- he plans the friction between parents and teens so that the teens will be motivated to leave the nest and the parents will be motivated to let them! My mom was brilliant... you can't argue the logic. She said "If we got along during those years you never would have moved out."

So true.

As a new week begins my tweens have chosen to extend their grounding from TV. Wonder Boy has added an especially divine torture -- he is grounded from the computer. Nick.com is not a life calling my son....

Sometimes I think kids like to get in trouble because they can see that we parents are noticing them. "Please, give me clearly defined boundaries!"

No problem honey, here is the line -- and yes, you stepped over it.

Super girl has gotten creative.... she has agreed to say the rosary to lift herself from another punishment. How much does that ROCK!? Super Girl is saying the rosary!!!!!

So this week will be a joy because Super Girl is saying the rosary, feeding the dogs, and unloading the dishwasher.

Wonder Boy is pulling a power play and trying to torture me due to his no TV or computer status (again, nick.com is not a life calling!). Wonder Boy has an amazing ability to make misery for all who share a home with him. He is a true believer that misery LOVES company.

The good news is that homework is done. We are also in the throes of ANOTHER marathon game of Monopoly. I know you are jealous....

I feel like these moments are a test... can I come up with an appropriate consequence for the discretion... and can I stick by it? For me that is the key -- do not threaten what you will not follow through on! So here we are -- no TV or computer for this week. Hopefully next week Wonder Boy will choose not to be INSANELY DISTRACTING during church (um, hello... it is not okay to pull out post it notes to draw on DURING MASS!). Hopefully Super Girl will choose to hand in homework! (How can you do the work and then forget to hand it in????).

I adore these children of mine. How cool is it that they have to feed the dogs and unload the dishwasher for the next week? (New rule: Complain and the punishment duration DOUBLES!!!). Step up and life is pretty easy... shirk your responsibilities and you will find yourself doing time!!!

(Yes, I allow them to negotiate to lesson their consequences... but hey, it you make a bad choice it will take a lot to change your sentence! Do the crime, serve the time!).

I am evil. I know....

I hope Super Girl decides to get on the ball with her math and English classes. It would be sad to learn about applying yourself in summer school... that and it would be sad to have to do chores to make the $$ your parents have to fork over to pay for that summer school.

Ah the joy of learning the hard way. I must be strong so that they learn these lessons now while the cost is small.