Sometimes parenting just plain SUCKS!

I knew that having a teenager would be a difficult task - trust me, EVERYONE told me so. It was not all that long ago that I was a teenager, no smart age jokes at this point, so I still remember some of the tricks that are played. Well, a certain teenager, who we will remain nameless, got busted for breaking a rule. With rule breaking comes punishment.

I've have definitely been in on the receiving end of punishment, I have been in on some punishment with Meghan, I've been in the middle of punishment for Meghan, but to be on the giving side of punishment -- that is tough! Here you are, looking at this person that you love so much, but yet you are so angry at them. You question to yourself WHY? What made this person do this against me? Why would they deliberately break my rule. When you ask the person WHY? you rarely get the answer that you are looking for -- I did learn that.

This particular situation was tough. It involved my house, it involved my exchange student who is considered my child and it involved another friend as well. I knew that I was forced to do what any other mother would be forced to do and I had to call the other mother. Yes, it pained me to get the other person into trouble, it really did. But my child broke the rules and was paying for the crime, should the other person not have to "pay" as well? I don't know about you, but that is how it was in my house when I was growing up.

I remember one particular situation... there was a guy. Doesn't it usually always involve a guy? Guy liked girl and girl definitely liked guy! The girl's parents did not like the guy so much and would not approve of her dating him, AND girl also had another guy. Guy and girl decided that it would be ok for them to "date" and not let parents know about it. Guy and girl never made it "out in public" together because too many people knew who they were. Guy and girl would casually meet in different places so that they could talk without parents knowing. Let's just say that it was not good for girl when someone saw them and recognized them and knew what girls parents thought about guy. Not good at all!! The "little birdie" had let the cat out of the bag and the girl was in major trouble! Girl lost her phone (this was long before cell phone days -- girl lost house phone!), girl lost her car, a junior in high school and she had to be taken to school by mommy -- not cool!! And girl could not go out, she was grounded for 1 month, lost car for 2 weeks but could drive to school only after 2 weeks, unless otherwise told to go somewhere by her parents. Tough punishment for someone who had just turned 16!!

You have guess right - girl was me. I learned a valuable lesson -- in the end, I learned that my parents were correct. Yes, I did admit at a very early age that my parents knew what they were talking about. I only hope and pray that my certain teenager knows this as well.

So, I decided last night that sometimes, parenting just plain sucks. It is tough to throw a fault in some one's face. After the "big" discussion came love and tears. I never knew that I could love this person SO much. I definitely explained my love and told them that these rules are there for a reason. They are there out of love - to protect them and their friends.

Now I will go to bed with this person's phone beside my bed for the next week and he will just about go everywhere I go for a week. I just pray a valuable lesson has been learned and we will not have another conversation like that.

~Randi

Noah, buddy, you better watch out!! Mommy will remember the tricks when you become a teenage boy!!!