Confessions of a parenting failure

Idaho went with the nucklar option? Brave man. I would have made her time a few swim meets as penance.

One of the teenagers in my house fired up a Twitter account about 60 days ago. All the rage in school, seems like they all have one. Funny, some of them haven't figured out that anyone can read their tweets.

Idaho, we need to know more about this 'boyfriend'. Do you and the Doctor approve of him?

 

When I was in Minnesota and my future wife was in NYC, she racked up a few months of $800 cell phone bills. Her employer paid her cell phone bills. After the first big bill he asked her to watch it. After the second, he said, now, really watch it. After the third he said she had to pay it. It's the only time he ever stood up to her but even she acknowledged she'd pushed it a bit far.

 

Doesn't sprint have unlimited text, talk and data for $70?

 

Ah, I agree, if this is the worst thing she's done you're doing just fine as a dad. Look at it this way, if she's on the phone all night, that's far from the worst alternative. I'd tell her that you'd rather she be on the phone than sneaking out of the house, etc., but that she needs to understand how her cell plan works and sign up for a netphone or something if that's what it takes to achieve cell-plan compliance.

Plus, remember how you were when you were a teenager...you probably could've gotten your ass kicked by someone's dad (or your own dad) a bunch of times. Doesn't mean you or the girls were bad kids. Just means that most teens will test and occasionally exceed the limits, but they'll learn from it.

I would give the phone back after a month and make sure your network is up-to-date with her personal life. And, of course, tell her boyfriend you'll kill him if he X, Y or Z.

 

I'm curious, because my kids are too young and I haven't had to deal with this yet, but is there anything positive that can come from teenagers having cameras on their private phones and laptops?

 

Cold turkey. Thankfully mom is the one who played Bad Cop this morning and told her about the bill that was $400 more than usual. She just held her hand out and the phone is was placed in it. This wasn't a first offense ... it might be the last. Still determining what conditions might have to be met before she gets the phone back.

I wish it was the worst.A $400 phone bill is tough to swallow. There are other failures on my part that I usually don't discuss publicly. But massive phone bills aren't that groundbreaking so I decided to vent here a little bit. She's a bright, very good girl with a wonderfully kind and giving heart, but has a couple of character flaws that give her mom and dad many sleepless night.

Usually about 30 minutes before it's time for the family meal.

 

Maybe she'll have time to clean her room now, eh, Taters.

 

Congratulations. How do the celebratory lilies you won at the best-parenting contest smell?

Also, isn't it total bullshit for you or your wife to get away with violating the plan when they can't? Obviously, you have much greater time and resources to pay for such "violations" than your kids do.

I guess you affirmed and resolved any criticism with your third-to-last sentence.

 

Pretty simple, he pays the bills he can go over as much as he wants. Once they pay the bills they're free to have 1000 dollar phone bills since it's their money paying for it.

 

There isn't anything positive that can come from kids having their own private phones. At least not for the kids. It's make the adult's life easier; they can pretend to keep tabs and spend quality time through a text.

Kids abuse phones, they text while driving, they neglect their homework and family relationships, they take the wrong kinds of pictures with them...it's roughly the equivalent of walking around with a beer in their hands 17 hours a day.