Wednesday, September 24, 2008

The Attitude Begins So Early

I expected it when she turned 13. I did. I still have distinct memories of my mother telling EVERYONE SHE KNEW, "Ignore her, she's 13."

It really hacked me off.

However, in hindsight, I believe her words were correct. I can think of no better way of dealing with a 13 year old girl. And I tell my friends of teenagers, who apologize for their daughter's horrid attitude, speech, and behavior towards their superiors, "Don't worry. I'm ignoring her, she's 13." NOT when she's in hearing distance.

BUT PRINCESS IS SEVEN.

She has no excuse.

When did it become acceptable to point out all of your mother's faults? When did it become appropriate to point out every time your father is incorrect? When, I ask you, did she wake up and decide we were the stupidest creatures on the planet?

And what does this say for 13?!

So, Tuesday, kids are lollygagging around the house. Not ready for school. No shoes on their feet. No brushed teeth. No combed hair. No lunchboxes in backpacks that were still by the door when they threw them the night before. It is ten after eight and we find them in the backyard playing with the toad.

Reminder upon reminder (Including, "Do you want to be late?") finally chases them dressed, shod, cleaned, and toting bags to the backseat of their daddy's car when he stops to give Charming a goodbye kiss. And we hear from the back seat, "Now you're the one making us late, Daddy!"

I could still hear him lecturing as they left the driveway.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

We wait and we pray for them to speak. Then we pray they'll stop.

Then they develop 'tude.

Maybe she's just getting it out of her system now?

However, don't discount the possibility that she witnessed some attitude from an older girl she finds "so cool" and decided to test drive it herself. AM has done that a number of times.

It's never becoming behavior they choose to test drive on their parents.

MotherT said...

If you stop and think you'll realize that it's just the cycle of childhood. The terrible 2's, the sassy 7's, the thriller 13's, etc.

((HUGS))