Monday, May 19, 2008

Teenagers! Holy crap!

The 14 year old in this house makes me want to drink. Or do crack. Or something.

Am I the only one with a teen who, when we talk, apparently hears the Charlie Brown teacher talk? You know...Waa, wa, waa, wa, waa, waa.

The deal was that, since there's a part of her brain that cannot compute finances and, no matter how many times she was warned about the cell phone minutes, she is only allowed to use her cell on the weekends because she either A) can't stop herself from calling 522,000 people each month or, B) basically says "fuck you" to me. Maybe both. She is also blocked from texting and Internet usage because her father had gotten nailed with a huge bill for that and I was not even going down that road. After several months of warning, I had had enough and told her she can only use it on weekends when the minutes are free. If she must call someone during the week, she must ask first so I can keep track of what's going on.

Fast forward to this month's bill. I was taking a gander at the bill and actually felt my face turning inside out and my head starting to spin around before it finally blew off my shoulders. I felt around for a while and found it laying on the computer desk and placed it back on my neck so I could take a second look at the bill. By God, yes, she was texting on her mother's phone. As my head started its rotation again, I quickly grabbed it and held it firm. My eyes then tried to pop out of my head, but I was ready for that. I do not have any texting plan on my phone so we must pay per usage if we use it. She knows this. She has been told this, but yet, yet she blatantly did it anyway.

We're still trying to figure out what we're going to do about this. I mean, besides the obvious fact that she will be working off the cost of the bill. A password has been placed on Roni's phone. My contract is up with my cell phone company and I'm seriously considering not renewing one of the phones and maybe getting her a pay-as-you-go phone that she would have no choice but to budget her minutes for because I'll only load so many minutes on it. When she's out, she's out. It would still work for mobile to mobile minutes so it wouldn't affect her contacting us even if she was out of minutes.

I just don't know what to do.

I have to go....I feel my head starting to turn again.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

She obviously knows my 14 year old son who did the same till his phone was confiscated and the cell company blocked all texts to and from his phone. Good luck-she probably won't think you have a brain for many more years......

Twiddles said...

I completely agree with you - the pay-as-you-go phone sounds like the best idea, and it's not at all unfair. Like my cousin used to tell my mom, "Be firm!"

Lisa said...

I think the pay as you go phone sounds like a GREAT idea. I'm sorry she's giving you so much grief though, especially during such a hard time for you with the house situation and your job and stuff too. Hang in there.

Mama Bear said...

OMG Tami, you are just starting girlfriend! I have a 23 year old living in a group home and now a 19 year old graduating from high school and I have wanted to pull every hair out of my head with that one! Talk about rebellious, ugh..........though I have to say after all the punishments, stress and etc. he is going on for mechanical engineering, minoring in electrical engineering and graduating with an advanced degree but you ought to see the gray hairs to GETTTTTTTTTTTT to here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hang in there!! Pay as you go is the ONLY way for uncontrolable teens!

Baby John's Crib said...

So sorry!

I haven't experienced what you're going through, but my friend had to block her 21 year old son's texting. It was so out of control, and he wasn't paying for it.