Return of the Pseudo Single Parent
When we last left our bedraggled pseudo single parent, he was dispensing justice in the form of chores. The weekend is now over and the rhythm of the weekly grind has begun. School hours loom up and ominously cloud the shining star that is Friday afternoon. At the end of the Monday, another crisis explodes in the life of pseudo single parent. He informs the boy that his visitation privileges were revoked for the next 36 hours. Yes, he is grounded.
On my way home, my oldest daughter called and asked if she could run up to the local store with a friend. Since there was plenty of time between now and dinner, and because she called and asked permission, I told her no problem. I get home and immediately started dinner. I hear my other daughter cleaning her room with the music pounding through the floor. I figured the boy was in the basement playing videos. He had called before I left work and asked to go to a friend’s. I told him to wait until I got home. Well he didn’t wait. Not only that, the rule is, dinner is at 6:00. He knows he is to be home for dinner and he was not home.
Well, we had finished eating by the time he got home and I told him to help himself. Dinner was on the stove. After he had eaten, I asked where he had been and got the name of the friend. He said he had permission from his oldest sister and that he had called her cell phone but she hadn’t answered. Easy to check and it was confirmed. I found that my oldest daughter had given him permission to go to a friend’s house. I have put her in charge when I’m not home. But since he knows that 6:00 is the magic hour, he got the grounding. I allowed one “but Dad” and asked if he would like to spend the week instead the next day. That brought an end to the whining and started the negotiations. Again, he got in one round and got the same standard question about additional time. Negotiation ended. No quarter given.
I have two more day of pseudo parenting. So far this has been exactly as I imagined. Tomorrow we go to the airport to pick up my lovely wife. Maybe with us both together, pseudo parent will turn into wonder parent. We can join in that glorious phrase, "Wonder parents power, acivate!"
Icool
Cobb
On my way home, my oldest daughter called and asked if she could run up to the local store with a friend. Since there was plenty of time between now and dinner, and because she called and asked permission, I told her no problem. I get home and immediately started dinner. I hear my other daughter cleaning her room with the music pounding through the floor. I figured the boy was in the basement playing videos. He had called before I left work and asked to go to a friend’s. I told him to wait until I got home. Well he didn’t wait. Not only that, the rule is, dinner is at 6:00. He knows he is to be home for dinner and he was not home.
Well, we had finished eating by the time he got home and I told him to help himself. Dinner was on the stove. After he had eaten, I asked where he had been and got the name of the friend. He said he had permission from his oldest sister and that he had called her cell phone but she hadn’t answered. Easy to check and it was confirmed. I found that my oldest daughter had given him permission to go to a friend’s house. I have put her in charge when I’m not home. But since he knows that 6:00 is the magic hour, he got the grounding. I allowed one “but Dad” and asked if he would like to spend the week instead the next day. That brought an end to the whining and started the negotiations. Again, he got in one round and got the same standard question about additional time. Negotiation ended. No quarter given.
I have two more day of pseudo parenting. So far this has been exactly as I imagined. Tomorrow we go to the airport to pick up my lovely wife. Maybe with us both together, pseudo parent will turn into wonder parent. We can join in that glorious phrase, "Wonder parents power, acivate!"
Icool
Cobb
posted by Cobb at
8:59 AM
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