Tag Archives: parenthood

this is 13

Before she left this morning, I hugged Freya and said, “I love you. Please be kind to yourself.”

She just seems so fragile anymore. It makes me sad.

Last night, she wasn’t finishing her dinner, and we got her to admit that she doesn’t care for meat, which we already knew, but it’s even more than that: she thinks she wants to be a vegetarian. And we were like, “Okay that’s fine. You just have to tell us these things. We cannot read your mind. We won’t be mad. Just. Tell. Us. Please. We cannot help you if we don’t know what is going on.”

Last weekend, D’s college bestie stayed with us, and the three of us had a conversation about teenage girls. His daughter is like 15, I believe. Anyway, she is also difficult and moody. She does almost all of the same stuff Frey does. It was interesting to hear his take on it, and to hear how he handles it. D and I both consider him to be a bit of a super dad, so to hear that he is also frustrated made us feel better. Especially since he utilizes a lot of the same strategies we do.

We made her show us her arm last night, and it looks terrible. We asked her why. We asked her what she’s feeling when it happens. We asked lots of things, but always got the same answer: I don’t know. Until I asked: Do you worry a lot about us being mad at you? To which she replied, “Yes.”

Sigh.

I don’t think we are unreasonable or particularly harsh parents. I think we have expectations and standards, as we should, but maybe we need to reevaluate things?

But, on the other hand, maybe we need to keep doing exactly what we are doing. Someone has to parent her. She doesn’t seem to face any consequences to her actions over at her mother’s house. In fact, it sometimes seems like she gets whatever she wants. We should know…we foot a large chunk of those bills.

I’m turning comments off on this post. I don’t want any commentary. Right now I just want to say the thing and move on.

about last night: viewpoints

Last night we went to see Freya perform in her school’s fall production, Viewpoints, which was a series of monologues designed to portray various viewpoints on different issues. Freya portrayed a teacher who wanted to establish a stricter dress code for students. She did a great job.

Photo credit goes to her mom. D and I had to sit further back, due to ridiculously bad traffic. I just love thunderstorms during rush hour. Oh and then my umbrella broke, so I was soaked by the time I got inside. Fun times.

After the show, D and I went out for dinner/drinks. I hadn’t eaten all day, so I was hangry. Then we went home and watched Tapestry (so good) and a documentary called Man’s First Friend, which I really enjoyed, though I did fall asleep at a certain point. It’s about the evolution of dogs. Even Bismarck was watching! Oh and my husband subscribed to a documentary channel called Curiosity (because of course he did – that’s Classic Dave ❤️).

what a week – and it’s only wednesday

My day is not off to a good start. I’m beginning to think this just isn’t going to be a good week for me.

I slept like shit again.

Woke up with a headache as a result.

Running late because it was hard to function.

In my zombie-like haze, I accidentally sprayed myself in the eye with a hair product.
OH THE BURNING. So now my eye is swollen and sore, and my make-up is all fucked up. lol lol lol

Just received more bad news about our daughter not doing her homework, and lying to us about things, and I am really fucking disappointed. Her not taking her schoolwork seriously is bad enough, but the lying?? That’s fucking unacceptable. She looked me in the face and told me that she was caught up in her other subjects, and then we found out today that she’s behind in two others.

Tonight should be a fucking blast.

Sigh.

Mama ain’t playing anymore

Yet another night spent yelling at my kids for not doing their fucking homework.

They aren’t going to like where this is headed. Jackson’s iPad has already been confiscated, and don’t think I won’t take Freya’s iPhone and replace it with a fucking flip phone.

These spoiled kids have no fucking idea the shit storm that will rain down upon them if they don’t get their motherfucking shit together.

I guess this is life with a teen and a tween? Oh yay.

Jumptastic

Jackson had a lot of fun at Flying Spider. He’s a genuinely happy kid, and I hope it stays that way.

Freya refused to allow herself to have fun and spent most of the time sulking. This moody teen shit is already getting on my nerves. We had a talk about it, and she apologized, but I can tell shit is about to get real.

I am walking this fine line with her: how much slack do I give her, knowing she’s going through a lot of shit, versus not allowing her to take advantage and act shitty to us.

I miss the simpler times. Sigh.

silly girl

Freya called me up to the bathroom last night, and asked, “Am I supposed to remove this plastic thing from the razor before I use it?”

Me, “The cover? Yeah…otherwise it doesn’t work because the blades aren’t exposed.”

Her: “Oh…I guess that’s why it hasn’t been working.”

Lol forever. I guess I didn’t specifically go over that part when I taught her how to shave a couple of months back. I was like, “How long has this been an issue?” and she goes, “Since you bought me the new razors.” So only like a week. But still. Ha!

Also from last night…

This is from when we had a frank discussion with the kids about sex and alcohol.

It boiled down to:

  • Use protection every single time. We will buy it for you if necessary and/or take you to the doctor for birth control.
  • We know you’ll drink when you’re underage; just be careful. Don’t drive drunk. Don’t ride with someone who has been drinking. Call us. We will come get you and your friends: no questions asked!

We try to have a relationship with them where they can feel comfortable talking to us about anything.