Friggin Kids!!!

[Buckeye_Nut]

What's the worst thing your kids have done??

Recently, my soon to be 4 year old son topped himself!! My daughter and I were downstairs watching a movie(wife wasnt home), and I put a DVD for my 3 year old upstairs in the master bedroom. Awhile later, I noticed I heard running water coming from my furnace room during a quiet segment of the movie. When I checked, I was greeted with a cascading waterfall of water running down from the ceiling. I quickly ran upstairs to see what was going on, and my son closed both sinks in the master bathroom and left the water running!!! The carpet and everything was soaked!!!! I also had water running through the ceiling into the garage!!!

AAAAAAAAAArrrrrrrgh!!!!!!!!

I can tell he flooded the ductwork because I can see a waterstained line about 25 feet from where the water was draining. After great effort to dry the carpet in the bathroom, I think all survived and dried out nicely.

Luckily, our master bath is over the furnace room and garage, because it could have been much worse if he overflowed the kids bathroom in the upstairs hallway.

Does anyone have any nightmare stories they'd like to share??

 

[miklorsmith]

My 2 1/2 year old pushed his little cousin down the stairs. My sister was ecstatic.

 

[philh]

What's the worst thing your kids have done??

Recently, my soon to be 4 year old son topped himself!!

Pssssttt, it only gets better <no grin>

I have 13 & 14 yo girls.... GOD help me, they are not going to make their next B'Day.

I will offer, that consistency, and constant pressure works. DO NOT LET UP. Wife's nephew came to live with us, semi permanently. Long story, but we gave up after a week. While that sounds bad, and it was the last thing we wanted to do (give up), it became necessary. Our giving up on him was actually a good thing, because he woke up and realized he was going to become a "full of potential" failure. Our next door neighbor kids (5 & 7?) are out of control. We've actually been asked from time to time to help control the wild kids. They respond to us, but not their parents. Keep the pressure contantly on them, always demanding higher performance. Also, have discovered an interesting thing with punishment. If it's always the same for the same level of misdeeds, they will become used to and expect the punishment. Mix it up I made the 13 yo sit at the corner of the dining room table like a 3 yo. Got my point across. We are the meanest parents in the world, but our kids are highly respectful of others, and adults. Their friends tell them they have the bestest parents Kids will push, push, and push some more, but keep the pressure on them. It's interesting to watch, about every three months, we will be pushed way past normal, about the time we realize what's happening, it's immediately after blowing up, grounding the kids for life, taking away all their toys, and eliminating all forms of communication, etc, LOL. Within a very short period of time, they are happy, dancing, excited, because the boundries were reinforced. We're ready to go on a drinking binge, but everything is good again. That's not to say we're not without problems, and a big one is envrionment. Kids today are getting less and less parental attention, and need it more then ever. Sometimes I shake my head and wonder if I (or them) will make it through this phase. Had a talk with the oldest yesterday, she's going to be eligible for drivers training soon, and laid it on the line. If I had to make the decision today, it would be no. She has not shown the maturity level and appropriate decision making I require for her to begin driving.

 

[supervij]

Recently, my soon to be 4 year old son topped himself!!

Holy crap, you scared the hell out of me for a second there. "Topping yourself" is a British expression for committing suicide. Very glad to read that I misinterpreted what you wrote.

No kids of my own, so no story. Sorry for the purposeless post . . .

cheers,
supervij

 

[Swerd]

Pssssttt, it only gets better <no grin>...

For all those of you who have younger kids and may be inclined to think philh is exaggerating, trust me,

truer words cannot be said on this subject!

To be a good parent, you cannot try to be their best friend when they are teenaged. Philh, you are doing the right thing. Keep up the good work even though it may seem painful and difficult at times. Getting a driver's license is a great incentive for good behavior. Some kids think they are not only entitled to a license the day they turn 16, but they think they should have their own car as well! I wouldn't let my son drive at 16 because he was so crazy and untrustable. He had to wait till he was 18.

My kids are now 21 and 22, and I sincerely believe they are well past the worst. My son is about to graduate college this spring and my daughter graduated last year. It does get better, but you still have a few years to go.

 

[Buckeye_Nut]

Holy crap, you scared the hell out of me for a second there. "Topping yourself" is a British expression for committing suicide. Very glad to read that I misinterpreted what you wrote.

No kids of my own, so no story. Sorry for the purposeless post . . .

cheers,
supervij

Yikes!! I can understand how that reading that may have been unsettling.

 

[MDS]

Some kids think they are not only entitled to a license the day they turn 16, but they think they should have their own car as well! I wouldn't let my son drive at 16 because he was so crazy and untrustable. He had to wait till he was 18.

It's nice to see that I am not alone. I don't think either me or my sister were crazy or untrustable at that age (parents may have thought otherwise. ) but my dad refused to let us get our learner permit at 15. We had to wait until we were 16 just to get the learner permit and 17 to get a license. My sister didn't even bother because she had friends to driver her around. I think she didn't even get a license until she was 19 and had a full time job.

Times have changed. I recall a Dateline or similar type of show where they were interviewing parents with 'difficult teenagers'. Some of the kids demanded things like a brand new Cadillac Escalade for their 16th birthday! That is in sharp contrast to my own experience where I had to save all of my own money from working at the grocery store to buy my first used car (1973 Datsun 240Z).

 

[Kai]

I absolutely agree to keep the pressure on but add to it...compliment them when they do well and tell them exactly why they did well and why you are complimenting them.

The parents are the disciplinarians but that also means they must live by the bar they set for their kids...they must act like responsible adults...many do not.

Wife and I set the bar high for our son(18) and daughter(21). We were strict but fair, explained our reasons for our rules, rewards and punishments, and held the line when punishments were necessary.

Daughter got her license at 17...worked part time and bought her own car with her own money...paid all its bills as well though we sometimes helped out though never asked...graduated from high school in the top 50, nearly 1500 graduates that year...5000 in the school overall...great college grants, etc. Went to the college of her choice and earned an Associates degree as a pastry chef...Decided she loved to cook but not as a job...Now in another university for a degree in accounting...again great grants, scholarships, etc.
Works nearly full time, has an apartment with her boyfriend...they pay all their own bills and never have asked for a penny. They will do well and go far...good parenting, and some good luck...daughter says it was the parenting and our examples of hard work and not using credit for "fun" that helped her most.

Son did well in high school though he did not like it much...does not want to go to college and is working his *** off in a paper mill and making a lot of money...He got his license at 18 because he did not really care to drive...Bought his car with his own money and also pays all his bills with no help from us.

Neither drank, daughter does now occasionally as she is 21. None uses drugs nor abuses themselves in any ways.
Both were always well behaved and respectful though they were "normal" children and got their share of whacks on their butts as needed. Also got a smack across the face by mother when they tried the disrespect line but wife is one of 15 kids in her family and takes no disrespect.

We were hated at times and the home was occasionally very stressful but they were brief and the kids eventually came around.

We could not be more proud of our kids and are glad we acted as we did throughout their childhoods. We also worked together to "hold the line". There was no...mom said no let's go ask dad...they learned that was a very bad thing to do.

We worked very hard and our efforts have paid off better than we ever imagined...We were also very lucky that our kids responded positively to our discipline...not all kids do despite the parent(s) best efforts.

 

[Sheep]

I have nothing relevant to add to the conversation.

Maybe I can help out here, seeing as I am in the teens still.

While I agree pressure is a good way to get noticed, it doesn't get results. The more you tell your kids to do something, the less likely they will do it. Its just human nature.

Make your kids get a job ASAP. Stop buying stuff for them when they turn 14. I started then and it has really helped me with maturity and confidence in the workplace (Plus it pads the resume).

And for gods sake, when it comes to dating, just stay out of it and keep your mouths shut.

SheepStar

 

[gmichael]

I have nothing relevant to add to the conversation.

Maybe I can help out here, seeing as I am in the teens still.

While I agree pressure is a good way to get noticed, it doesn't get results. The more you tell your kids to do something, the less likely they will do it. Its just human nature.

Make your kids get a job ASAP. Stop buying stuff for them when they turn 14. I started then and it has really helped me with maturity and confidence in the workplace (Plus it pads the resume).

And for gods sake, when it comes to dating, just stay out of it and keep your mouths shut.

SheepStar

So then, 20 years from now, when your lil' 14 year old darlin' is climbing on the back of Spike's Harley to go to the biker bash weekend you'll say nothing?

 

[furrycute]

My 5 year old niece constantly bullies my 7 year old nephew. Truly she is the meanest little kid I have ever laid my eyes upon. Sometimes I really do believe that she is the devil incarnate.

 

[Sheep]

So then, 20 years from now, when your lil' 14 year old darlin' is climbing on the back of Spike's Harley to go to the biker bash weekend you'll say nothing?

If you raise your kid right, you won't tun into said problem.

Remember,

SheepStar

 

[majorloser]

So then, 20 years from now, when your lil' 14 year old darlin' is climbing on the back of Spike's Harley to go to the biker bash weekend you'll say nothing?

What if the "lil' 14 year old darlin" climbing on the back of the Harley and hanging on to Spike is your son and they're going to a gay biker bar?

 

[gmichael]

14 is too young. He can go when he's 16 and not a day before.

 

[gmichael]

If you raise your kid right, you won't tun into said problem.

Remember,

SheepStar

Hope you're right. But I won't bet my daughter's life on it.

 

[Johnd]

Hope you're right. But I won't bet my daughter's life on it.

I agree with you, but I'm still trying to make sense of the statement that you're responding to. Cheers.

 

[sjdgpt]

I had chasity belts installed on the kids.

The keys are locked up in the safety deposit box at the bank, and the kids are not allowed to visit the bank vault until their 18th birthday.


Chasity belts sure solve many problems.

 

[Hanse18]

I absolutely agree to keep the pressure on but add to it...compliment them when they do well and tell them exactly why they did well and why you are complimenting them.

The parents are the disciplinarians but that also means they must live by the bar they set for their kids...they must act like responsible adults...many do not.

Wife and I set the bar high for our son(18) and daughter(21). We were strict but fair, explained our reasons for our rules, rewards and punishments, and held the line when punishments were necessary.

Daughter got her license at 17...worked part time and bought her own car with her own money...paid all its bills as well though we sometimes helped out though never asked...graduated from high school in the top 50, nearly 1500 graduates that year...5000 in the school overall...great college grants, etc. Went to the college of her choice and earned an Associates degree as a pastry chef...Decided she loved to cook but not as a job...Now in another university for a degree in accounting...again great grants, scholarships, etc.
Works nearly full time, has an apartment with her boyfriend...they pay all their own bills and never have asked for a penny. They will do well and go far...good parenting, and some good luck...daughter says it was the parenting and our examples of hard work and not using credit for "fun" that helped her most.

Son did well in high school though he did not like it much...does not want to go to college and is working his *** off in a paper mill and making a lot of money...He got his license at 18 because he did not really care to drive...Bought his car with his own money and also pays all his bills with no help from us.

Neither drank, daughter does now occasionally as she is 21. None uses drugs nor abuses themselves in any ways.
Both were always well behaved and respectful though they were "normal" children and got their share of whacks on their butts as needed. Also got a smack across the face by mother when they tried the disrespect line but wife is one of 15 kids in her family and takes no disrespect.

We were hated at times and the home was occasionally very stressful but they were brief and the kids eventually came around.

We could not be more proud of our kids and are glad we acted as we did throughout their childhoods. We also worked together to "hold the line". There was no...mom said no let's go ask dad...they learned that was a very bad thing to do.

We worked very hard and our efforts have paid off better than we ever imagined...We were also very lucky that our kids responded positively to our discipline...not all kids do despite the parent(s) best efforts.

See! Not all kids are bad! I'm with Sheep, representin' the teens, and I second what he says. I got a job when i was 13 years old, making $7.50 (USD of course ) at a small lawn mowing company that did residential houses at the time. Now I'm 17 and make 9 bucks an hour, but i drive a company truck and have my own lawn crew, doing 2-3 large townhouse complexes each day. My parents strongly suggested that I got the job at 13. They have never MADE me do anything (besides make my bed, eat dinner, etc.) but they have made their priorities, and what my priorities SHOULD be, very clear. I like to think there is a mutual trust in my family. My mom is extremely open about anything I want to talk about, and right now I can count the number of things in my life that she DOESN'T know about on one hand. I have to think this is a sign of good parenting, since I know parents who never even see their kids, let alone know anything about them.

I have a proud moment from my childhood... When i was little, my sisters (2 of them, 1 and 2 years younger than me) and i had a flour fight in our kitchen. In case you have never thrown a handful of flour, it will stick to walls, and refrigerators, and the ceiling, and the countertops, and other people... It's pretty cool. So, after the chaos settled, cleanup had to begin before mom came in from shoveling snow... so i get out the washcloth and start wiping down with water... Thats when i found out flour and water made paste... and you can't vacuum paste. long(er) story short, my mom cried every time she entered the kitchen for the next week i believe, i was grounded for a long time, and when we sold our house eight years later, you could still see flour under drawers and in the various nooks and crannys of our kitchen... we even had a potential buyer comment on it.

Looking back on it, i guess the lesson is don't buy flour in bulk... or else keep it in the liquor cabinet.

Also, never buy the flinstones vitamins. They are way too good, and your kids will think they are candy and eat too many and get really sick. experience people, experience

 

[furrycute]

How would they use the bathroom?

I had chasity belts installed on the kids.

The keys are locked up in the safety deposit box at the bank, and the kids are not allowed to visit the bank vault until their 18th birthday.


Chasity belts sure solve many problems.

 

[philh]

For all those of you who have younger kids and may be inclined to think philh is exaggerating, trust me,

truer words cannot be said on this subject!

It does get better, but you still have a few years to go.

It's not easy, and sometimes....