Teens recycling biz

Do you mean that your teens don't [2008-10-16]
know what marijuana is? Or did I misunderstand? I She also has posted I Just wondering if I Obviously it I know kids try to be cool and it doesn I was truly just wondering what you all would think if you read that.

Your're right about teens! - sm [2008-06-05]
I try to tell him that he never would have married me if heneanderthal and readily admits he's too heavy-handed (figuratively) sometimes and that he needs the female perspective from me. Thing is, he's got two grown daughters. But they didn't grow up with him and so this is completely new territory for both of us. We haven't seen his first kids more than a handful of times in the last several years, and I know he's terrified that our two (we also have a 19 yo son) will turn their backs on him too. So it's either over-indulge or get very strict, and very little in between. This parenting stuff really can be perplexing, can't it?

actually they DO cast out their male children as teens [2008-06-03]
often times if they do not comply with the religious teachings. There is an entire group of Lost boys all over Utah and the surrounding areas where FDLS and other religious off-shoots have cast out their teen boys. Really really sad. I lived in Utah and have known quite a few current and former FDLS members and also know a couple of men who as teens were cast out by their families. I think also the older men doncompetetion for them as far as the young girls go...it's disgusting religous fanatacism at its worst.

If my two teens ever talked to me like that.......sm [2008-05-25]
I would probably punch them in the mouth and knock their teeth out! But, then again, I do not talk to them that way either. My son is 6, 280 lbs, college football player, and I would have no problem knocking him out if he talked like that to me......ever!!! Teens do try to get away with things, and sometimes forget who they are actually speaking to their parents and not their friends on the street - no excuse ever. With that type of behavior, they might find their bags out on the curb. Would never tolerate it!!!

Teens recycling biz [2008-05-22]
Here I have two teens and we live in a fairly rural area where job opportunities are limited enough as an adult, forget about being a teen looking for a job. The kids came to me last night and have come up with a business idea for the two of them. Recycling. Neither are quite old enough to drive yet. The eldest will be driving in about 8 months so any driving will have to be done by dear ol' mom of course. My question is for anyone who regularly recycles. Is collecting for money even worth it? We already recycle but it is packaged separately and picked up with our other trash and WE pay them to pick it up. Anyone? Thanks

ANY money is worth recycling for! -sm [2008-05-22]
With the cost of groceries what they are today, and aluminum cans getting 5 cents ea., it adds up pretty fast. Even if I only have 2 grocery-bags' full of cans, I take them to the recycler just before I go shopping, and then I have an extra $2-$5 in my wallet - the equivalent of several good coupons!

Pre-teens and makeup question. sm [2008-01-24]
My DD just turned 13 and I have agreed to allow her to wear basic makeup now. However, she is not applying it appropriately to where I think it looks decent. I am not a big makeup person and all the teens are into this glitter stuff at that. I would like to take her somewhere to really teach her how to apply makeup, select her colors, etc. Does anyone know of a place that does this type of thing and any good recommendations that would help?

Get Over It Already is an immature phrase, as are young teens who act this way [2007-12-20]
nm

Look at this headline "Michigan Teens Murder, Dismember Sex Offender (sm) [2007-11-13]
This man was ambushed, murdered, beheaded and burned. The headline says these teens murdered a sex offender. Way down in the article it says that this man 9 years ago at age 17 had sex with a 14 year old. That was his offense. It does not say he raped her. While I agree he should not have had sex with a 14 year old, I think it is very unfair that after he suffered such a horrible death the headline reads that a sex offender was murdered. The article also says that his being a sex offender had nothing to do with why the boys murdered him, they just did it to do it. How sad that after his death, that is what they post about him!! http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071113/ap_on_re_us/burned_torso

2 teens, but only 1 ticket (so far!) [2007-10-05]
My oldest DS got one his first year of college where was going to school. It was an expensive lesson for him, but one he learned well.

recycling [2007-09-19]
Is a great idea! When I lived in WI we had mandatory recycling and the city would provide the bins for us and then pick it up once a week. I didn't mind that. Now that we've moved here to Utah, which is a National Park State, I cannot believe they don't do mandatory recycling here! After living in WI where there was recycling, it sure felt odd to just throw those plastic and glass and paper things all in the same garbage!

Mandatory recycling [2007-09-18]
What do ya The city I live in (and will be moving from next month) has had recycling for a while, but it was by choice. I do not choose to recycle because of all the rules that go along with it - I do recycle newspaper and phone books for the schools - but not my household items - I think the city government is just going too far in requiring everyone to recycle. I think about the little elderly people who may not understand the rules or what can and cannot be recycled, etc. I'm not against helping the earth - I just don't think that the government should mandate it - it's alredy in the Bible - perhaps this could be made an issue of Church and State.

Teens!! -- Difficult times for teens and parents. (sm) [2007-09-12]
You must feel as though you are at your witstough love. Do not argue with him; give him a couple of choices when situations arise. Don't allow him to be disrespectful. It sounds as though your son needs attention. His negative drug test was a positive; praise him!!! .Smile every time he walks into the room. .Every day find something positive and praise him often for even the smallest thing. .Everyone has talent(s); what's you son's interests. Show him you are interested. .Consider Big Brother/Big Sister (maybe a retired teacher will be available)/the Y. .Chores/responsibilities -- mowing lawns (earning spending money), assisting at a local nursery, household chores. Keep him busy!!! .Have him plan/prepare a meal and invite a friend for dinner/movie. .Watch a movie together. .Play a little basketball together (my favorite!). .Attend church together!! May God bless your home!!

If I hear teens and 20-somethings... [2007-03-05]
using profanity it really peeves me. Mind you, I can talk likea sailor too, however, I find the F word is peppered in speech lately, even with the girls. How unattractive and anything but adult-like behavior.

Teens and preteens? [2007-03-05]
I was standing in the grocery line of a major store tonight and the F word not coming from one of them, but an older woman on a cell phone right behind me. Her complaint was that there were not enough lines opened up and that is when the word came in. I only had perhaps 5 items and my going thru took not but a few seconds. It is everywhere.

Yup, have 2 teens and it is kind.... [2006-11-16]
of interesting as one does not have all the time in the world for that anymore. We have got to get when we can. But also he works nights and obviously sleeps some during the day. Maybe that is what has kept the fire going all these years. LOL

car insurance quadruples for teens in florida [2006-11-04]
it's not *spoiling kids* whatwith Florida rates, that's a given.......quadruples for kids 25 and under.......check it out yourself....it's not spoiling. I also moved out at 18 and did it all myself but I didn't drive until I was 26 or 28 so car insurance was never an issue back in the days for me. Today, it's a different world and car insurance definitely depends on WHERE YOU LIVE. If you live in very small-town America I suppose what you said is very correct......

not paying insurance for teens-I feel bad for you.SM.. [2006-11-03]
Kids don't make enough today to do it all - including teen car insurance - and some parents LIKE TO HELP...again, to each his/her own. My children have been working full time for 10 years and I'm still wanting to help them with that car insurance because it's exhorbitant for young people even in their 20s....until 25 actually where I live - oh well, one thing is we can all AGREE TO DISAGREE - LOL

Universal is more for teens really..... [2006-11-02]
MGM is great for 3 and 7 year olds, as is the Magic Kingdom. Epcot is more for teens and adults. Haven't been to Animal Kingdom but it's for 3 and 7 year olds as well as adults and teens. Someone I know just went back up to Universal and said much is closed inside - it's not doing as well as it did back in the early 90s. I loved Universal when I went, that was in 1997, and I'm adult (many times over *LOL*). They'll have fun NO MATTER WHAT - this I can promise you!!! Buena Vista is a very nice area to stay in and very close to all parks. The Disney parks have escalated in price and went up TWICE this past year....may be better to buy 3 (if they still offer 3), 4 or 5-day passes - unlimited visits and cheaper in the long run. HAVE FUN!!!

These 10 things definitely ain't right: [2008-12-01]
1) MTSOs who want people with top-notch skills and experience, but don't want to pay them what that skill is worth. 2) HMO's: So-called *health-maintenance-organizations* --yet they spend every minute and every dime of their far-too-large profits on denying healthcare, meds and procedures to their patients. These organizations have ruined American healthcare, and many American lives. HMO's have been a con-game since their inception. 3) The Bailouts: Giving money to companies who can too bad for the rest of you.* Then the Big Three show up in DC to beg for a handout, and fly there in private Lear jets. My answer to them would be, *I too bad for the rest of you.* 4) Apartment managers that won't allow even a single quiet, well-behaved pet, but will rent to people with continually screaming small children, and out-of-control older children and teens. Give me the pets for neighbors, ANY day. 5) Businesses that give an age-discount to absolutely everything that walks, runs or flies, but not to the middle-aged middle-class, who need it the most. Take the ski-industry: Young children ski for next-to-nothing, and sometimes nothing. There is a Teen Discount. There is a Student Discount for college kids. There I'll probably never be old enough - it's a carrot-on-a-stick, always just out of reach.) There are even corporate (UGH) discounts. But for those in my age group, who barely make ends meet but like to go up once a year for a couple days of bliss, there is NOTHING. 6) Travel-lodging deals that are always based on double or quadruple occupancy. What about singles? NOTHING. 7) TV commercials that are about a million decibels louder than the regular shows. Why can't it all be the same volume? Same with online newscasts. THEIR commercials will blow your eardrums out if you aren't quick enough turning down the volume before they start. 8) Surround-sound: Everything is too loud, already! Why do we need it coming at us from 4 directions? Why do people living in tiny apartments feel they need it? I've lost count of how many fights I've had with neighbors over this issue. Same with movies and music concerts. Why do they feel we need to feel the music in our SPLEENS? I went to Universal Amphitheater last week. (Now named something else). There is actually a sign outside warning that the decibel level inside might damage your hearing! (?!?!?!) Why do they need this? (To avoid lawsuits, obviously). If it's so loud you have to post a warning sign outside the entrance, then DUH.... it's TOO LOUD! 9) Banks that charge you a fee to use their ATM. They (I haven't actually been INSIDE a bank in YEARS).... and they want to charge US for using the machines instead of the tellers? Forget it. I won't give those banks my business. 10) The Post Office: Talk about rewarding slow, inept performance! The worse their employees are, the longer they seem to stay there. I'd rather have a root canal than go to a P.O. during the holiday season.

It's not just about rolling pin [2008-11-24]
It's more about asking me first. What If I loan out his PS3 or baseball kit without asking him? Oh come on ... you can't imagine the fuss he is going to create over it. Furthermore, If it was something easy to clean, and such, I'd be more prone to loan it out. I haven't priced rolling pins in a while, but I know that it seemed steep when I bought it! (I kind of did my own hope chest. I had dishes, glassware, flatware, linens, pans and such before I moved out! I started buying in my teens.)

Don't use your debit cards [2008-11-19]
I had a problem with fraud on my account through them. Surely they have fixed it by now, as this was last year and the year before (yes 2 separate occurrences, both at xmas time). So I would not suggest using any cards there but cash only. I do agree that it seems to be a great idea for teens. Their prices are great and our location has always been helpful with advise, returns, etc. Another good idea I have found for teenagers is a gift card for restaurants or gas stations. It helps their parents a bit and if they have a girlfriend/boyfriend places like AppleBees or Red Lobster are nice so that they can go on a nice date and not have to worry about $30 for the bill. Even with a part-time job that's a lot of money for a teenager! :) My nephew actually requests it.

A good gift for either... [2008-11-19]
is the small cologne/perfume gift sets you can get at the mall stores. they usually have 5-8 small bottles for $20 or so. Sometimes you can also get whatever their free offer is for a sweatshirt or duffle bag with it too. We did this one year for all the nieces/nephews between 14 and 21 and they all said they loved it. It gave them an opportunity to try different things without being stuck with 1 fragrance and it surprisingly lasts a kid a pretty long time because they don't want to smell like that every day but when they go out it is something special. The girl might also like a gift certificate for a makeup counter to get her colors done and skin consultation. That's if her parents allow her to wear make up. I wish someone had given me one of those when I was that age. Most teens don't realize its not the amount of makeup you put on but HOW you put it on that makes the difference.

I'm from Michigan and s/m [2008-11-18]
I have 6 in my home, 2 teens, 2 younger (78), 2 adults. I spend minimum of $150 a week on food, probably closer to $200. I do plan my meals out for the week prior to going. I really need to get back to my couponing days! I will do it religiously for months and then fade out when I don When I do couponing, I spend about the same, but get a lot more food for my buck. This also includes cat food, cat liter and dog food (little dog), cleaning supplies.

My daughter had the books and I read them [2008-11-18]
at 50. Absolutely love them and am going with my daughter and her friends to see it. I was disappointed after I read the last book that there were not more. I am currently also watching TrueBlood on HBO and absolutely love it. It is based on a series of 9 books and I am on book #5. Certainly would not recommend the series or books for young teens (very graphic in all aspects), but very good series. The series is not following the books, which is a little disappointing however. I only hope the Twilight movie in in line with the books.

During the week, they can SM [2008-11-04]
Go to after school activities (including sports), work (very limited hours) and church. They are allowed on Friday and Saturday (I have two teens by the way) to make any plans that they want within reason of course. Sunday is for church and family dinner unless other arrangements are made WAY in advance. I have two younger ones too and they will have to abide by the same. Good luck!

A survey. See inside [2008-11-03]
Just wondering - those of you who have 16/17 year old children, what are your rules on going out during the week, other than sports or work. I let my teen go out socially on Friday and Saturday night. During the week I feel should be dedicated to school and her part-time job and I'm okay with maybe going for coffee in the afternoon if there is time, or maybe even dinner, but not all the time and don't feel she should be out at night. Especially now that days are shorter and we're headed towards winter. Just wondering how everyone else does it with their teens.

It actually does save me a lot - sm [2008-10-22]
I make enough to almost fill two five gallon buckets and those two buckets will last me about 6 months. House full of teens, one of them who is very sensitive to a lot of perfumes in different detergents. My own home made laundry soap seems to get the clothes a lot cleaner too. It took awhile to get used to not seeing the soapy suds as you do with other laundry soap tho.

Don't Enable [2008-10-17]
You need to nip this in the bud, literally, right now while you still have the opportunity to reach your son. I had the same parenting style you did. I too hid my sonall teens try it. I too had a husband who would have kicked my son out of the house to teach him a lesson. How I wish I could do it over. My oldest son is now addicted to meth and just got released from prison after 8-1/2 years. Buy your son a home drug kit and test him immediately. Continue to do so (especially after weekends). Sit your husband down and decide TOGETHER how tosave your son. If he pops positive, get him into treatment immediately. Drugs are absolutely destroying our children's lives. Get on top of the problem while you still can. Being a Mom is not a popularity contest. It is a serious responsibility that means a lot of uncomfortable decisions. My oldest is lost to drugs. I learned from my mistakes and my other 4 children didn't dare even try drugs. Learned The Hard Way

this is fun! [2008-10-03]
1. I really wanted to go into the Army after graduation (went to college instead) 2. I used to play tenor saxaphone (loved it in high school) got 8 blue medals for that 3. While growing up and in my teens, I was in love with my next door neighbor, and still think of him today after 20 somethings years have passed.

sm [2008-09-24]
Yes, we took her license and she is no longer allowed to use the car. I also removed texting from her cell phone and she only has call in, call out, but even these measures don't seem to be motivating her to change her lifestyle. She did admit to pot, and I asked her about other drugs, which she denies, but I still have this sense I can't shake. She is very clear and constantly voices her hatred for me and her father and her family/home and can't wait to leave. In the meantime, she decided that she will just sleep as much as she can until then. I'm trying to get in to see a therapist who specializes in teens. Also trying to find programs locally. I fear I have to go all out here, but then I second guess myself and start feeling guilty...maybe I'm over reacting, etc., etc. I just don't know.

I don't set strict curfews for mine. I can't because of her activities. sm [2008-09-11]
How do you all work around school activities and curfews? My 16-yod works, is varsity cheerleader, tennis player, in theater, etc. Even school activities like away games sometimes it is like midnight or later before they get home. As long as she is keeping up her grades and I know where she is at all times, I pretty much let her be. She has a cell and I know I can call her at any moment to get a hold of her. She lets me know the plans ahead of time so I can know when to expect her home. She is the one that suffers if she doesn't get enough sleep. I may be wrong but I believe in being too strict too. In my town, they have midnight bowling for teens and a lot of the kids get together after football games and watch movies. These to me are much better than being at some party and as long as she is behaving, I let her go. We have a very open communication though and she tells me just about everything so I don't worry. I am proud to have a 16-yo virgin at this time which is more than I can say for myself. If she has no specific activity planned, her curfew is midnight but that is very rare. I think there are a lot of varieties and things to take into consideration especially individual personality of the teen as well as school activities and the friends they hang out with.

temper, temper [2008-08-25]
I have the sweetest boy. He is 12. He is kind, thoughtful, funny, smart, and a joy to be around. Lurking underneath all that, though, is a temper that erupts violently. It is rare, which is good, but it is pretty intense. There are 2 things that I wanted to share with you. 1) After his last outburst, when he lost it and started punching his older brother over and over with every bit ofstrength he had (Scary to see, BTW!), I found out that the whole event was not as out of the blue as I had thought. He had expressed to me verbally a few times that certain things were bothering him, but I didn I felt terrible about that, because I didn I don 2) The thing I have tried to express to him about the violence is how quickly things can turn very serious. I told him that there are lots of people in prison who killed other people and are sorry that they did, but the only reason it happened is because they never learned to control their temper. In past years there have been a few instances in the news of brothers killing brothers - teens - over things as small as a pack of gum or a video game. I think that made him think a little harder about self-control and how important it is to practice it. I do believe in spanking, but I also believe that there are kids it does not work for. I

Before the post gets buried below regarding credit - very long message sm [2008-08-24]
I just wanted to share with the posters who were considering bankruptcy. Unless you are on the verge of losing your home, I would strongly encourage you to consider another option. Bankruptcy does not just go away after a few years. It Even if you rebuild your credit afterwards, it A friend and my in-laws also filed bankruptcy in the past. My in-laws filed over 20 years ago and have recovered financially but it My husband is a credit card spender. I would only spend when I had the cash and did not depend on credit. It didn Our spending habits combined nearly led to our financial demise a few years back too. This is what I did and I hope you give it a try and it works for you too. I started with a complete inventory of all of our bills, separating them into three categories. Home (mortgage and utilities) Credit cards - (lowest balance to highest balance regardless of the APR) Miscellaneous bills (entertainment, clothing, food, gas, fast food, etc.) Since the Home category is pretty consistent every month, I set up a budget for that first. I went back through our utility bill for the year prior and chose the highest month bill of the year and added that amount to our mortgage amount. Next, I reviewed our telephone, internet, and television (satellite) bills. On average, I was paying about 230.00 per month for them all combined. Way too much in my opinion. I started shopping around and found a bundle package with Verizon. Now I pay 153.00 per month for unlimited long distance telephone, satellite TV, and DSL service. Saved $77.00 per month, just doing that. Then I added this amount to the mortgage and utilities. This totalled amount is what I know I absolutely have to pay every month and I better make sure it's in the account. Next, I did the Miscellaneous. I I started going over what was spent where and learned that we spent a lot more than we really needed to. I set up a weekly grocery budget and a fun budget. If there was anything extra at the end of the week, it was divided evenly between the two and added to the next week. I do this every week until the end of the month. If there is anything left over, that amount is divided in half again and half is divided again and added to the following week's budget (grocery and fun), the other half is locked away in the savings account. The money for monthly gas was a little trickier when the gas prices skyrocketed. I first had a set limit for gas each week but did have to adjust that. I did manage to adjust it a little bit upwards and still be able to pay the cards down (see below.) Also, every time I spend cash, no matter if the amount is $5.01 and all I need is a penny, I don Instead, I will give them $6.00 and get 0.99 change to put in my giant size espresso cup of change. When the cup gets full, the change is rolled and turned in to the bank as a deposit into the savings account. My cup last gave me $281.00 change to put in the savings account. That was in March. It Nobody touches the cup! They might lose a finger or even a hand! That being said, and having two set amounts for each budget, I then subtracted that amount, plus the Household amount from our combined monthly income. Lastly came the dreaded credit cards. To be honest, I was floored when I learned just how much credit card debt we had. My husband had wracked up over $40,000.00 in credit card debt alone. Since he paid his own credit card bills each month, I had no idea. Even worse than that, he is very inconsistent about paying his bills on time so he had late charges and the interest rates were way the heck up there. It was terrible. I took each of his cards most current statements and started from the lowest to highest balance. The lowest one was about 1200.00 but the interest rate on it by that time was 22%. This is where I started. I had him call the company and basically gave him a script to go by (my name wasn He requested a decrease in his APR on each and every card. Two of the five card companies agreed on the first call. The 22% card was reduced to 11% so they cut it in half. Not as low as I would like but it was a start. Another card was up to 31% and they reduced that to 20%. The other three didn't budge the first time. This is where I made two The first one was MS Money software. I highly recommend it. You can set up your checking, savings accounts, print your checks, balance your checkbook in about 5 minutes, pretty much a no brainer software that really keeps you in line with your bills and spending as long as you remember to faithfully enter any debit card purchase in your check register provided with the software. It will also link to many banks to update your balances online. You can also set it up to remind you for upcoming bills. (Maybe if the husband had used this earlier, we would not have been in this situation?) The second purchase was about $8.00. An accordion file folder for the monthly statements. Husband always threw his away and I cana dumb idea that is. KEEP them. Organize the tabs for each bill and put your statement in when you pay each bill. I also write the date and the amount when I make a payment somewhere on the statement, then keep them in chronological order. The actual payments came next. The smallest balance card was paid off first. All of other cards only got the minimum payment PLUS $1 more. I started doing this just for my own peace of mind I guess but I learned later that this actually helped us a bit when negotiating the lower APRs on the three more stubborn cards. It may have only been $1 extra but it was EXTRA payment and, believe it or not, they do look at that. Excluding the card to be paid off first, I added up the minimum payments of the remaining four cards (plus the extra dollar to each of those) and decided on an amount to pay the lowest balance card to get that balance moving toward 0 as fast as I could. In this case, I decided on 200.00. This left me with a little over 200.00 extra (I call it mad money but it really goes into savings anyway -planning ahead for birthdays, auto insurance, Christmas, and emergencies.) I had that card paid off relatively quickly in a few months. When it was paid off, the card was cancelled and that 200.00 was added to the minimum payment (plus $1) on the next lowest balance card. After the first month of this, once again, had the husband call his credit card company and ask for a reduction in his APR. This time it was granted. Should also mention that this card was one of the three that refused the request the first time. The first six months or so of this wasa mildly painful transition. He was used to whipping out a credit card, I was used to having cash on hand for whatever I wanted. It wasn't going to happen anymore. Finally, I wasdown to the last remaining card (754.00 per month payment by this time, having applied the payments for each card to the next as they were paid off.) When I got to this point, I started shopping around for cards with rewards programs and started comparing those cards. The last card I was paying on also had a rewards program but not quite what I wanted. I wanted to know if the terms were negotiable. It was! How about that! So, instead of losing a valuable customer the card company decided to keep me. Now I get 3% back on purchases of most things as long as I pay the balance in full every month (which I do). Any kind of air or rail travel purchased with the card is a 6% reward. I no longer use a debit card. The husband is not allowed to get a credit card again but instead, takes a certain amount of cash every week. Say what you want but he got us into this mess pretty much so he has to live with it now. It I find that I average about 400.00 per month AFTER the rewards bonuses kick in so essentially I am able to bank another $354.00 per month in savings. It adds up quicker than you might think. Should also mention that we have two teens still at home and they can really be expensive. They were made a part of the plan and do their part to help out too. Their contribution is mostly the avoidance of fast food all the time. They can come home and have a meal or eat before they leave. Things like that. Sorry for the lengthy post but hopefully I can help anyone else get out of a potentially bad financial situation like we faced.

I understand it is different in every family [2008-08-13]
some spouses just state their plans without thinking of other.....have a brother like that. DH would never dream of leaving us on a holiday. As a matter of fact he quit hunting the fall our first child was due in Novemeber...just in case. DS was actucally born on Thanksgiving Day. My brother-in-law always goes hunting on Thanksgiving but makes it back in time for dinner. Our Thanksgiving is usually quite hectic. We used to watch the parade (kids are now teens and want to sleep in) while I prepared food to take to my parents or grandparents for lunch and then went to DH family for dinner. I only have to cook a couple of dishes for each meal...never the same ones so I can double a recipe, and I don't mind that to terribly, but I have to clean up 2 major meals after both times feeling stuffed to the gills. This year my parents are going to NY to see the parade, my grandparents are going to my uncle's house, and all we will be doing is going to DH family for dinner. I am actucally looking forward to this. We do the same thing for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. On Christmas Day we go to MIL house in the morning to open gifts....this started after her DH died 18 years ago and we didn't want her to be alone on Christmas morning. We then have brunch and make a mad rush to my parent's for lunch. I would then see my mother (God rest her soul) and then back to my MIL for dinner. Would love to complain about going to MIL twice in one day, but DH sister would still go without us and I would be the bad DIL, just not worth it. I say go to your parents if at all possible, or spend the day watching the parade with your son, decorating, and making Christmas treats. Or to heck with keeping the peace....just put your foot down and tell DH he will be home for Thanksgiving! Good luck to you.

While I feel for you.......sm [2008-07-25]
I must ask, how did it get this far? I have always parented with a very strong hand. I am the disciplinarian and my husband is the softee.. I think I missed the whole story... First and foremost, be her mother. She has plenty of friends, and you are not one of them. You are her parent. She is to do as she is told. I think if my daughter called me names or cursed at me, I would probably be in jail right now. I would not think twice about slapping or even punching her in the mouth and knocking her teeth out, and she knows it. Teens to fear something or someone, and, I think, in this case she needs to fear you.. Good luck and my heart goes out to you. Parenting is never easy and it is a job for life!!! Never give up on her...show her who is boss.

I think what you are experiencing is all normal teen behavior. sm [2008-07-19]
I can't think of anyone that I hung around with in my teens that didn't run away. Trust me ---- they ALWAYS COME BACK.

Don't give up on her. PLEASE don't give in to her. [2008-07-19]
She My husband and I came from permissive families - you know, the cool family with the house where all the kids wanted to hang out? The houses where they could get away with anything, drinking, drugs, smoking, sex, cause the parents looked the other way. My parents were fine, upstanding, snobbish upper crust members of the community, fine church-going folks and rich. And they didn I only wish my parents had rules. I was grown up since I was 14. My husband, too - thatour own kidswere babies... NEVER are they allowed to sleep over anyone Not relatives, not their bestest friend, not their cub scout troop. Need I say that we have never had 1 regret??? There is NO good reason for any kid to sleep anywhere than their own bed at night. Period. We realized when they were little that if we let them do the sleepover thing when they were little, but then stopped when they were older, what kind of a message was that? We knew the sweet little neighbor who at 5 years old demanded her friends sleep over, or else would throw a tantrum, would be 16 one day, and a tramp. Its that simple an equation these days, unfortunately. So, no sleep overs, no exceptions, not for church, especially not for church. LOL. How sick is that? But this is 2008 folks, and this is one messed up world. My kids were upset a bit when they were really young, but we didn At any rate, of all the rules I would start if I were you, I would go with the knowing where she slept at night, eacn and every night. Otherwise, look what Please don Don Praying for you. Be strong. She may hate you now, but she won BE STRICT. Being a strict parent does not kill your kids in the end, honest.

Yes I have children [2008-07-16]
Apparently you did not read my whole post. Even little children need to feel they have some control over their lives ... like letting them pick between two different outfits for school, rather than telling them what they are wearing. A safe and fair compromise is not a bad thing. The daughter will have to choose if she wants to cooperate or not. If she will not, there there is only so much you can do and she will have to experience the consequences. Just because she has started handling her desire for independence in a not-so-great way does not mean she cannot do things differently after receiving more information and some thought. You have to allow teens the room to make smarter decisions along the way ... people DO learn and grow. That's the plan anyway. :)

You might want to consider [2008-07-16]
that your daughter might try to appear she is going along with you but won't (not to scare you). They don't typically give in that easily, and she may be using that as a tactic to gain an deserved trust from you. You can't keep her home every minute, and it's amazing how young people figure out a way to rebel in what time they have access to. No one likes feeling oppressed and with teens it leads to big trouble. I agree with the posts who said you need to work with her a bit and not have it be ALL about my way or the highway. Yes, she needs boundaries, etc. but she also needs some independence and ability to become her own person. Honestly, I would seek some professional advice geared toward your child and specific circumstances. We're pulling for you!

you are so right, not just cops. [2008-07-14]
I noticed an ag teacher here has a truck provided for her and probably gas, too. She rips up and down the highway several times a day while I am sitting here making a list so I only go one time a week and try to hit my errands in a time and gas saving mode. aggravating. Of course, I havenMom, don!

and the punk kid next door would be first on the list [2008-07-09]
Too bad he This kid is a really piece of work. He is a total psycho. He He has a 6 year old brother - cute as anything and lots of fun to watch. Looks up to big brother (wrong role model to look up to). Kid is hanging out with gangs, into drugs. Mother came home the other day (screaching halt with her car) got out screaming at the top of her lungs for him to pack his bags, he is out of there, he I say - ship him off to troubled teens or boot camp or anywhere but here. Luckily the parents are seeing through his lies. Other neighborhood kids are no longer playing with him and when his parents go off to work hooligans come roaming around. Okay - just had to say that.

I also have a 10 y/o boy [2008-07-08]
and we have been experiencing the same thing. I do not think its an outside influence on our end, I think it is just early teens. He has always been a great child but recently he has no common sense, gets an attitude, and cares about things like what clothes he wears and where he goes.

Definitely not... [2008-07-07]
Even though I am only 26 and do not have a 16 yo daughter, I think it is too risky to let her spend the night around a lot of boys. I wish all moms were as caring as you. In the house next to mine, there lives a mom and her 2 daughters. One looks 16 and the other looks 14. Since Thursday night, that mom has allowed around 10 other teens (half boys and half girls) spend the night and party. I know these kids are only between 16-18 and they are drinking b/c they left the beer cans in our yard! My hubby kicked them back over though. I just think to myself what kind of mom lets her daughter have a party for 4 nights straight and lets them spend the night drunk every night!