The Parenting Files: "You Owe Me...."

Do your teens have a slightly skewed perspective on life?  Mine definitely do.  I had to text Miss Sunshine this afternoon to have her turn the oven on.  I had prepared the casserole and put it in the oven before I left so all she had to do was turn the dial to the right temperature.  A 3 second job.  No effort.

Me:  Could you put the oven on 160 please?
Miss S:  Yep
Me:  Ta
Miss S:  No worries.  You owe me.

Ahhh the naivete of youth!  I bore this child; my body still bears the evidence.  I feed her.  I clothe her.  I house her.  I educate her.  I support her.  I love her.  No my darling, I owe you nothing.  I'm pretty sure I'm all paid up and if we were to audit the who-owes-whom account you'd owe me.  A lot.

A common conversation with Mr Busy that happens just after breakfast, at the end of school, on the way home from school and when I think about entering the kitchen.  He's 14 and related to the rest of his paternal family.  There is no hope for him.

Mr Busy:  What's for dinner?
Me: Food.
Mr Busy:  What food??
Me:  I dunno, but I already fed you today and the law only says I have to feed you - there's no law about how often I have to feed you.  If you keep asking me about dinner I just won't cook it.  Dinner is overrated you know.

The boy has the sense to take me seriously.  Although I would never actually follow through on this threat there has been enough follow-through in his life for him to back off.

Living with big kids is always entertaining.