dog poop or manipulation

September 13, 2007
Dog poop or manipulation

Every morning since school began this year, my precious green gem has given us nothing but a hard time about riding the bus to and /or home from school. I understand that junior highers think only about themselves but the constant badgering and whining and pouting and stomping off and walking off while we are talking to her and screaming at her siblings and just being plain rude is about to send me over!!
I’d like to just smack her but not really. I just like to say it I think. “I’m gonna smack you” just gives me a sense (however false) of control over the situation. Unfortunately all of my kids, especially the last 4 have taken after their mother and have a will as strong as an OX. We are as stubborn as mules and will fight to the death over anything, just because we can. We know there is not anything we HAVE to do, (though we know there are also consequences for not doing things …like homework and housework) BUT we know that you can not MAKE us do anything we do not want to do . The only thing we HAVE to do is DIE. Sounds extreme maybe, but there are a lot of us out there. Now we don’t go around defying all authority and rebelling against all the rules. Though I do not believe in MANDATORY. In fact when someone tells me that it is MANDATORY for me or my family to be or do something I will probably not show up.

I digressed.

Back to the precious green gem and her fit at having to ride the bus to school this morning because her dad had to get ready to go do some handyman work….to bring in some money! She wrote on the wipe off board underneath all the activities of the day, “Jade has to ride the bus again! Get there at 7:00 Jade!!!!!!!” Now I have heard her talk enough to be able to read her writing and know her tone pretty well. I could sense there was some sarcasm in her comment. (duh!) Plus it was followed with, “I guess I better leave now…to walk to the bus stop….because no one cares to give me a ride to school….okay, I’m going now….bye….”
We ignored her manipulations and all hollered “BYE”.
She was gone for 2-3 minutes when the front door opened and she meekly called for her dad and asked if he would walk her to the bus stop. He ran.
A few minutes later, I was expecting my husband to walk in the door but instead it was precious green gem, with only one shoe on! My husband had the other one under the hose! She had stepped in dog poop!
I asked in HER USUAL TONE, “Did you step in it on purpose so your dad would have to drive you to school?” She completely lost it! She cried out/screamed and ran to her room in a tizzy!
OH MY GOSH!!
I don’t think I’m going to make it through her junior high years and if this continues on to high school they’re going to be putting me in the home for the bewildered!