Struggles With Tweens

Yesterday the big girl casually asked me to do something. She made it sound like I was obligated to do it for her. She turned into a bear with a sore head when I kept refusing to help, which made me blow a fuse at her just before bedtime.

Her classmate wanted to buy a few Rubic's Cubes from an online shop but didn't want to purchase it herself.  The friend would pay Alycia and Alycia would in turn pay me to do it.

Sounds really shady, right?

Reasons for enlisting my help?

I. DON'T KNOW.  It all doesn't seem to make sense and sounds like a jive the more I probed.

The reasons were so many. After I queried and probed, the answers and reasons kept changing, DUH!  Kids, they really think that their mothers think like them, with a simple mind.

First, the friend said that her mother won't allow her to buy things online, thus she needed my help.

Then she said that her mother allows her to buy the cubes but she feels bad using her mother's money. Like I believe!

The girl then cooked up another story...

After probing further, she said that  the mum allows her to buy just one cube but she wants to buy a few, which her mum wouldn't allow.  Who am I to help some other people's  daughter to do something which they do not approve of?

Next she said that her mum does not want the courier guy to send the parcel to her house.  But why send to our house??  I kept grilling the big girl on this but she could not give me a satisfactory answer. The answers she gave were  clearly revealing the untruth!!  I could smell the shenanigans.

The reasons kept changing each time she communicated with her friend on the iPod via Messenger.

It was so clear that the girl's mother disapproved of the purchase. More reason why I should not give in.   The more I grilled the big girl, the more pushy she got and the more fibs were told.

I told the big girl that if her friend's mother doesn't allow her friend to buy the Rubic's Cubes, I have no dang right to help her friend to do it surreptitiously. I would be encouraging the big girl and her friend to go against their parents. Karma will bite back at me like a bitch.  One day Alycia would do the same too and buy things that I oppose to, covertly. I would be fuming if I ever find out.  This makes me wonder too - where did the girl get the money from??

I am sure Alycia's friend's mother would react the same too if she found out that her daughter has been buying things without her approval behind her and enlisting her friend's mother's help. I would be seen as a conspirator. A mama thug!!  I imagine the story of our shameful act shared a million times on social media with my face, my Facebook name and blogs exposed - the Health Freak Mommy Who Is A Thug!!

My final reply to the big girl - "NO MEANS NO and don't ask me again. Ask your friend to get some other mother's help.  I want to sleep now!!"

As a mother, we have to be firm in matters that we feel strongly about, even if it means upsetting our child.  Geez, the big girl on the brink of teenagehood, few months shy of turning 13 and already getting into a regular verbal tussle with me!!