Worst Parent Ever

Once again I find myself in the position of the horrible parent. I'm making my daughter, who is a senior in high school, walk places and without the right to her cell phone. To top it off I still made her pay for her cell phone and car insurance, even though she has no access to it. I KNOW!!!! Somebody should stop me.

This was not a decision I made in haste or in anger that I couldn't take back, were that the case it would have happened six weeks ago. She has a history of doing just enough to get by, not taking into account the unexpected.

Our house runs on the system of points. Do a chore get a point, want a privilege spend a point. I know....complicated and hard to understand. Anyway, our big girl will do just enough to get her phone and pay her car insurance and nothing else. This has been getting her by. Until now. Recently she has been a little lazy and hasn't gotten all of her points. And then she forgot to get her laundry out of the dryer. I charge five points for laundry removal, now this may seem extreme but since that rule has taken effect I haven't been shuffling their laundry. Anyway this oversight caused an overdraft, and those of us who've overdrafted a checking account know that pain.

So we're letting natural consequences take effect. Can't pay the cell phone bill, can't use the cell phone, can't pay the insurance, can't (or shouldn't) use the car. Better to learn it now than next year.

This wouldn't be as much of a problem for me, but she's gotten all of her friends' parents driving her places. I as a parent do not assume the whatever to drive her friends around. Yes, if we have plans and are including them, I provide door to door service, but not a "so and so has such and such and her parents can't take her...." not my problem. I'm figuring that the surrogate chauffers this week are sitting in my driveway wondering how I could be so lazy, heartless, selfish or what not to deprive my own flesh and blood her inalienable right to cell and transportation.

I don't enjoy wondering how my daughter is going to get home at 11:00 at night after work, but this will be her problem in a few short months and I want her to feel the pain of her irresponsibility when it's just a little hurt rather than next year when I can't bail her out. If that makes me a bad parent then guilty I am.

So once again I accept the award for worst parent ever, and keeping a spot open in the trophy case for not getting her a Lexus for graduation. Or not throwing my son a quince....