On the last day of school before Christmas vacation - I allowed my high schooler to skip her last class... The only activity in that class that day was a movie to pass the period - so I thought "why not?"
When school started up on Monday - I gave her the absence excuse letter to turn into the office... Tuesday evening comes and the school calls me advising me that my daughter was marked as truant and if her absence was not a truant to please be sure to have a signed note from the parent sent in no later than Thursday morning..... On Wednesday morning - I told her to go straight to the office and turn the note in.... I said to mark her hand to remind her.....
This morning on the way to school - I asked her if she turned the note in... And again she forgot... Soooooooo - I told her that I will walk with her to the office to turn the note in to make sure that it gets done...
Daughter: "No, Mom!!!!"
Me: "Yep - I've been telling you to turn it in since Monday."
Daughter: (I wish I could have taken her picture.. hee hee) "No, Mom - Please - I'll bring it to the office......"
Me: "No, I'm walking you to the office because next time I ask you to do something - you will remember..."
Daughter: (Gets out of car and starts walking very fast ahead of me)
Me: "Nik, if you continue to storm ahead me and show attitude with me - I will embarrass you more...."
Daughter: (She slows down)
We walk into the school office - they advise her to put the note in a box and to make sure her student ID number is on it..
Daughter: (she tosses the note in the basket)
Me: "Is your ID number on it?"
Daughter: (very loudly and disrespectfully) "I don't know, you wrote it!"
Me: "Well, they just told you to make sure your ID number is on it - so don't you think the best thing to do would be to check?"
Daughter: (smoke is coming out of her ears) "I didn't know..."
Me: (thinking "huh?" - picks up note "What is your ID number"
Daughter: (she tells me too fast... again too fast.... again I can't understand her.. Her attitude is beyond respectful and she is starting to cause a scene and many of the workers are looking at her...)
Me: "Nik, If you don't want this to happen again - be sure to turn your note in on time."
Daughter: (turns her back on me and storms out into the quad)
One of the things that I have learned about this particular daughter is that her appearance is more important than anything else to her.... And I knew that my walking with her to the office (sans make up - hair in a ponytail - and very uncool clothes) would embarrass her... It doesn't matter that no one is paying attention.... I think at this age - they assume everyone is watching them.... I have a pretty good idea that she will do her best for this to not happen again..
What have you done to Piss off teach your kid a lesson?
Ha! You definitley taught her a lesson. She sounds an awful lot like my teenage daughter.
ReplyDeleteHa ha, this is funny. Feeling embarrassed by my parents seems like a distant memory but I do vaguely remember how mortifying it was to be seen anywhere with them.
ReplyDeleteOh you are GOOD!!! You have to know what works for each individual child, and you seem to have it down!
ReplyDeleteGood for you! She will remember next time!
ReplyDeleteHahaha! Love it!
ReplyDeleteThis is wonderful!! Perfect way to teach her a lesson!
ReplyDeleteMy youngest and her girlfriend skipped school once and only once. My husband found them and returned them to school. The school said that was the first time that a parent ever brought their child back to school after skipping. She never did it again!
I do not envy you this time with a teen! I survived 2 girls(my son was a breeze! I'll take boys over girls any day!)
ReplyDeleteThe good news is, she'll go away to college soon (if you don't kill her first) and a civil nice person will appear!
I like this a lot. I have two teens and when the lesson requires it, I embarrass them too.
ReplyDelete