Sunday, February 17, 2008

Punishment to fit the crime??

My teenager has a smart mouth. Not as bad as some I have seen but definitely enough to make me want to slap him at least once a week. Yesterday he locked Allison out of the house. This is a new thing he has started doing that he thinks is hilarious. She goes outside to play on the back deck and he locks her out and she has to crawl through the doggie door to get in. So, since I had told him not to do this again on two separate occasions, I told him he needed to write sentences. He said, after a good bit of protesting "What sentence do I need to write?"

I said, "I don't know, what do you think is appropriate? Something about not being mean to your sister..."

And he said, "Okay, I will write, This is stupid. I didn't do anything wrong."

Losing my temper, I opened the back door to the deck and said, "Get out! If you don't think you did anything wrong, then don't come back for two hours. Let's see how you like being locked out of the house." So he stayed out there for an hour and a half (as he doesn't fit through the doggie door) until my mother-in-law showed up for her birthday celebration and I told him to get back inside so she was not uncomfortable with him hanging off of the back deck, which is what he took to doing - I am sure to get on our nerves.

Teenager anyone?

7 comments:

*pal said...

I am inclined to award you +1 WMP for locking him out of the house. +1 additional WMP if it was cold and raining and he was barefooted and without any type of protective outer layer.

karen said...

I LOVE IT! I'd be inclined to lock him out there every blessed time he goes until he cries uncle and admits on his own that what he did to Allison was wrong. I whole-heartedly approve of the point (and the bonus point if there was inclement weather...) :)

Chaotic Joy said...

Nope. He was not dressed...no shoes etc. but the weather was beautiful so no extra points. Thanks for the vote of support though.

Unknown said...

hmmm....you must be doing something right for him not to have taken off to some horrible place until who knows when? did he ever write the sentences?

LMP said...

This frightens me. People we know who are parents of teens are always admiring photos of our wee ones, and then slowly shaking their heads, they say "enjoy it NOW, when they're teen-agers they're not even likable". I think back to when I was a teen...and I think I can safely say my parents had more than a little reason not to like me.

Stacie said...

Ok. Is it wrong of me to suggest that you hide a key outside that only Ally and you know about and give her the instruction to use it to sneak back in when Brandon's not looking? Let her mess with his head. :-D

emmay said...

That is awesome. Definitely in agreement on the point. I'd have given you an extra point if you'd sat Allison by the window with a piece of grandma's b'day cake while he was still locked outside.