Ugh got to unload. So read on at your own risk.
I felt awful last night. I had to ground my son for the first time. He has started to come home late repeatedly so. And I had warned him that I would have to ground him if he did not stop this. And yesterday he was supposed to be home at 10 pm but I knew where he was so I didn´t call his cell until 10:25 pm and when he did not answer I called the boys house. His father told me that my son had left as soon as the phone started to ring. But when he was not home more than 5 minutes later (his friend lives in the apartment building next to ours so it takes max 2-3 minutes to come home) I called his phone again and then heard it ringing in the hallway. That kid of mine was afraid to come in, he thought I would be furious, like I was some kind of monster :( but I was actually very calm and just told him that he was grounded and that meant he could not go out with his friends after dinner for a while (have yet to figure out how many days I should ground him for).
The laws here are that kids age 12 and under can stay out until 10 pm. But some parents let their kids stay out longer than that. I dont mind him being out longer if for instance I know that they are finishing a game or something but I want to know about it first.
Ugh I want my responsible kid back hahahaha he never used to come home late until he started hanging out with this kid. I know he is at his house but still...
Having to punish your kids is the worst. It is hard when you are the only parent too, and have to be the only "bad guy". I wind up doing most of the "bad guy" parenting myself, and it is very tiring! I try to just keep it unemotional like you did, and consistent consequence, but it is still exhausting. One of my kids is really easy and I almost NEVER have to give a consequence, so at least I got one like that. ;-D
ReplyDeleteI'm a pro at punishing my boys- I have twin boys that are 11. They aren't so much punished for coming home late (they and their friends are always here) they get punished for not doing chores. the past 3 months they had been grounded from x-box and computer and for some of that time even the tv. I tell my boys that I'm the meanest mom ever, I have to be because I had to sign a contract at the hospital before I could take them home ;)
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