quick poll - if (as a parent) you.........

[ShadowOfTheDay]

told your teenage daughter (once, just once) to clean off her nail polish before school - because it is against the rules and a letter is sent home every other week setting the rules out -
would your daughter (13) :

a. comply
b. complain and comply
c. not comply
d. scream the house down for 20 minutes about the way everyone wears it, and by not letting her we are stifling her "individuality"....
(I don't think she thought before putting those 2 concepts together.... )
eventually she did actually comply, telling us that we are "just like Hitler was" and she would rather be anywhere else but here.....

it is soooo exhausting this parenting of teenagers lark... pleeeeeeeeease tell me it will pass.......

Mine would do b.

Yes it is really tiring to ignore all the attitude. I would give a quiet "thanks for taking off the polish" once she had actually done it and then try and move on.

just got a phonecall during break at school.... she was feeling upset that we hadn't "resolved" everything before she left..... that she did love us... and...

she has been chosen to be a "student receptionist" today because she was nicely turned out (HAH!! - sorry could not resist - would NEVER say it to her like that though....) , polite and respectful......

life is such a rollercoaster.....

Mine would do a because it's a school rule and her behaviour at school is perfect. At home though, that's another topic...

a) plus her own variant

e) procrastinate, procrastinate, procrastinate. Possibly get it off at 11th hour. Possibly end up with it still on at school. But take the penalty for that without fuss.

I always gave mine a reminder and then let them suffer the consequences of they chose to ignore my wise advice.
No sympathy, but no 'I told you so' either.

Shadow that's funny! All part and parcel of life with teens!

Dd1 would have been b, dd1 the question would not arise - blue for the weekend replaced with " they won't notice" neutral polish by Monday am! (Rules are no polish but she's right - they have bigger fights to fight and dd2 is adept at flying under the radar for breaching minor rules whilst sticking to the big ones and being a model student- she's too mature for her years really)

a) b) e) or f) depending on mood
e) nod and forget
f) clean of coloured stuff and replace with clear.

I don't give a stuff about nail polish, it's up to them if they want to get moaned at, same with makeup and DD2's skirt. It shrinks on the way to the bus!

Well, this is a rule that isn't enforced at DD's school, so it wouldn't be an issue! And now she is in Y10, she needs to take responsibility for her own actions

I would give them a reminder with the words "well, it won't be me in bother at school about it so it's up to you..."

I give 1 reminder. If they do not choose to comply with the school rules, they face the consequences at school.
Saves me a lot of arguing tbh.

hahahaha - I'm loving all the extra options.... and feel that once she's worked out her own way, we will probably get a few more too!

Sounds like they are all different! no wonder it is so tough sometimes to work out what to do...

we only told her once too... the rest of the "dialogue" tantrum was completely one sided apart from my reaction to her telling me I was "just like Hitler was" - which was a low-volume "you shouldn't be so hurtful when you are angry", which made her quieten down as she realised what she had said...

Dwerf, that's what I do too!

Shadow, I like that line - "you shouldn't be so hurtful when you are angry" I sometimes say "there's no need to be rude when you want to put your point of view"

me, I'd just let her take whatever punishment was coming her way- large SEP field around dc's school appearance as far as I am concerned, once they leave primary

Cory You can't set up a SEP field, painting your DC pink must break the uniform code.

SEP?

g) pick it off resentfully while on school bus

Love it. welcome fellow oldies.

SEP field is 'Someone Else's Problem' It renders a problem instantly invisible.

Ah. TYFTI (thank you for the info )

B or d according to her mood....
Usually accompanied by the retort " I WAS going to take it off so YOU don't need to tell me to do it...."

In Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy, it's suggested that painting a mountain pink would render it SEP and it would effectively vanish. Hence winning a bet.

DH and I often threaten to paint inconvenient things pink.

BigTillyMint - I'm stealing "there's no need to be rude when you want to put your point of view".....

my "you shouldn't be so hurtful when you are angry" said at low volume really works as a - you are being horrid, stop it now - type of breakwater for the angry stuff.. maybe we can do the same with the rude/superior attitude stuff too.....

b.

And it will probably pass.

I noticed that "probably" .... nooooooooooooooooooooooo......

Mine would probably shouting that she cant find the nail polish remover and uts all my fault that she will get in trouble

Well mine isn't a teen yet, and she has only brothers before her.

But... Mine would go with option, E) Pick polish off on the bus so as to not get in trouble at school, and then paint nails before walking in the door so as to show her daft mother that DD KNOWS BEST!