A colleague's situation has got me thinking and I just wonder what all your experiences might be. Her 15 year old daughter has her Year 11 'prom' this July and you would have thought it was another royal wedding. She has already guilt-tripped her mother (my colleague) into spending £100s on a ball dress, will get new shoes, jewellery etc and is insisting that she have spray tan, hair, nails and professional make-up. This is before transport is arranged or spending money handed out.
The rest of us in the office are horrified and are all in agreement that the phrase "no, because I'm your mother and I say so" is a perfectly acceptable phrase. And one we all remember being on the receiving end of This is even causing ructions for my colleague and her husband because he WILL say no while she doesn't seem able to rein in her daughter's outrageous ideas.
Are we all being unreasonably harsh? In the days of Gypsy Wedding and Super Sweet 16 all over the TV is it giving kids totally unrealistic ideas? Or is it the schools' fault for staging these crazy 'proms' when a Leavers Disco would do fine?? Why do parents feel too guilty to simply tell their kids 'no, end of discussion'? I'm 26 and my mum was still saying that to me until I left university!
Interested in your own experiences with this
The rest of us in the office are horrified and are all in agreement that the phrase "no, because I'm your mother and I say so" is a perfectly acceptable phrase. And one we all remember being on the receiving end of This is even causing ructions for my colleague and her husband because he WILL say no while she doesn't seem able to rein in her daughter's outrageous ideas.
Are we all being unreasonably harsh? In the days of Gypsy Wedding and Super Sweet 16 all over the TV is it giving kids totally unrealistic ideas? Or is it the schools' fault for staging these crazy 'proms' when a Leavers Disco would do fine?? Why do parents feel too guilty to simply tell their kids 'no, end of discussion'? I'm 26 and my mum was still saying that to me until I left university!
Interested in your own experiences with this