Thursday, September 09, 2010

Friday 55-Was It Worth It?

FRIDAY 55

Take out recycling.
Bundle cardboard.
Sweep out  garage.
Sweep and mop kitchen and dining room.
Clean bathroom.
Unpack dishwasher and reload.
Do homework.
Pack tomorrow's lunch.
Gather ALL school items in one spot.
No TV, computer, or Wii
Until EVERYTHING meets MY standard.

Plan to miss your bus and mouth off again any time soon?
 
 
 
Isaac is famous for missing his bus. It became a big enough problem a few years ago that I instituted charging him taxi fare any time I had to run him.  That curbed things for a while.  Then the problem recurred.  Then I entered the workforce and his lateness started making it hard for me to get to work on time.  Not cool.  I told him I was doubling the fare this year.  He didn't believe me.  When he missed the bus this week he found out I wasn't joking and took some umbrage at my "excessive rates."  I warned him that from here on out, if he missed the bus on days I work early the price would be even greater.  I got more lip so I immediately instituted the early work day inconvenience rate.  He mouthed off again and I doubled it.  He wanted to know how I expected him to pay when he didn't even have enough money for the original fare.  Hence the growing list of chores.  I should have come up with more but I was in a hurry to get myself to work on time, ya know?

And yes, some of you may suggest I simply make him walk the several miles to school.  I'm not opposed to the idea of that but where we live would require walking on a twisting, turning mountain road with no shoulder and poor visibility.  Add to that a bunch of aggressive drivers and it's just too dangerous really. I want the kid inconvenienced enough to learn his lesson.  I don't want him dead.

29 comments:

clean and crazy said...

great 55, i have this book called parenting with love and logic, and one of the things it addresses is this very thing, they suggest just letting him miss school. it is the natural consequence so to speak. then when he askes you for a note you tell him he can explain why he missed the bus.
this is supposed to teach them to be responsible and that it is not our problem when they wake up late.
you know like "failure to plan on your part does not constitute a crisis for me" type deal.
anyway i really don't know what i would do, thankfully i don't have a job so if my girl misses her ride, it would not inconvenience me too much to take her.

magiceye said...

:) lovely 55er!

best wishes in disciplining!!

lime said...

c&c, yeah that's not a bad idea probably for a lot of places but we live in an area that has had a big truancy crackdown. such an absence would be considered unexcused and after enough unexcused ones PARENTS face legal consequences.

KB said...

For a minute there, I thought you'd stolen my to do list for the day. I'm guessing a bicycle is also out of the question on the busy road? Hope you work it out :)

G-Man said...

Lime-An Legree!!!
Dang girl, you sure are strict!
Loved your 55 though.
Real Life sure inspires some great stories.
Thanks for playing, and have a Kick Ass Week-End...G

Brian Miller said...

oh man...that gave me shivers i have not felt in many many years...i heard the mom in that one....nice 55...

TALON said...

I promise to behave! ;)

I commend you on having consequences for his decisions and choices (and reading this makes me really glad my three are adults now because it is HELL at times being a parent).

choochoo said...

I'm one of those ppl who are obsessively early. I remember waiting half an hour for the school bus every morning when I was a kid. lol. Now I'm living with a dude who plannes everything so that we can be right on time. I'm going to have an ulcer...

Hootin Anni said...

Ohhhhhhhhhh, been there, done that. But for me, it was decades ago. I feel your 'pain'!

Here's Mine. Yes, I finally did one...long time no see!!!

Have a super weekend.

Jinksy said...

A 55 with bite, and a Mum with a good head on her shoulders!

Bijoux said...

I think people are born that way (being early birds or always late). None of my kids ever missed a bus (when we had them!), but they have their own idiosyncracies!

furiousBall said...

no, no, no... here's what you do.

buy him a really pretty girl's bike. gotta be pink, lots of tassles and stuff. there's his late for school ride

Craig said...

Oh, I do SO love the mouthiness. . . You depend on my generosity, and you're gonna give ME crap? Unclear on the concept. . .

The Love & Logic books that c&c mentions have been really helpful for us. . .

S said...

Ok just this morning miss smartass came into my room at 7 am and said get up you have to take me to school, why do we have to switch roles?
:O
I said, you can walk if you cant be nice.
You are the adult you should be up and ready to go by now.
Oh really, well we have ONE bathroom, and you and your dad are both getting ready for school so I am not getting up til you are both finished in the bathroom.
You should be ready!
You will be late for school today, kid. :D
(then I pretend to rush but I drive kinda slowly to town to make her a little more late)
When I was a kid I had to walk really really far to school, but we had sidewalks and crosswalks and crossing guards.
We also live on a rural highway and she cannot absolutely cannot walk to school. The bus also does NOT stop anywhere near my house and if it did, I would be paying $180. a year for my kid to sit on that bus for 50 minutes twice a day even tho school is just 2 miles away.
I like your list, I think it's good. I would do same if there was an alternative to mom taxi.
Good job, mom!

S said...

LOL I will run out and read Parenting with Love and Logic, thanks, clean and crazy!

Another really helpful book which I LOVE and is really getting me through the teen thing:

GET OUT OF MY LIFE
but first can you take me and Cheryl to the Mall?

Excellent book.

Anonymous said...

Seemed more than 55, every one dead on target. He knows you are going to give in eventually, doesn't he?

Bubba said...

LOL! I understand the dramatics, Lime!

I'm pretty lucky. My boy only missed the bus once that I can recall, and his school wasn't too far to drive.

I used to drive him to school every day, but a couple of years ago he got to that stage where he was 'too cool' to be driven to school.

Have a great weekend!

Ananda girl said...

Great 55! And I love your parenting skills.

My middle son was like that. I wish I had been as clever as you.

(M)ary said...

Hmmm....well....my dad would wear a timer and goad my teenage sister out the door, but he was retired and had time to do that. But maybe Isaac should get a stop watch and set it for his 'get out the door time' and when it beeps, he has to go to the bus stop in whatever condition he is in...half naked, no breakfast, no homework...doesn't matter when the timer beeps it's go time.

(M)ary said...

And if he has a locker at school, he could stash some food, toothpaste, extra clothes...whatever he needs to finish his morning routine on the days the timer beeps before he is ready.

Teresa said...

You go, Mom! Hold your ground and know you are winning because you will have an awesome adult to take care of you in the future. All because you stuck to your guns!

secret agent woman said...

I agree that making him walk down a dangerous road isn't the way to go. There's just punishment and insane I-don't-actually-care-of-you-make-it-to-adulthood punishment.

Mona said...

Wow! You sure know how to keep them on their toes!

Kat said...

Haha! I love it! You are a genius! :)

moondustwriter said...

way to go mom - I need those rules for my house. Goodness they sure take advantage of us (if they can)

happy weekend

Moon Love

Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis Hall said...

I can relate,
mom is the best,
feel good and have a good rest,
Happy Belated Friday!


my 55

Cheesy said...

How about a ride far enough to not be dangerous? Let him walk the rest of the way and be late?? I am also glad I no longer have this woe. ... 14 miles for my kids to walk... but I did make them a coulpe of times lol. [I followed later lmao]

Dave said...

Discipline is good Michelle, but remember, one day he may be the one chosing your resthome! :-) -Dave

Jocelyn said...

Deeply, deeply impressed here. To hold to your consequences like that is so awesome--I feel like all I see are parents who capitulate, so Gooooooo, girl!