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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

Suitable punishment for lying about where she is

256 replies

jackstini · 30/10/2021 19:21

Dd is 15 (16 in March)

Few weeks ago we had an issue with her being out in a city, then a park until about 11 then stayed at a friend's house, where we've let her stay before

Issue is she had told us she was at a different friend's and only admitted where she had been when really pushed (& I had screenshots of her phone location)

We grounded her for a couple of weeks (ended up being 3 as she caught Covid)

She's gone to a friend's tonight, for a Halloween sleepover. Her phone says she's there but a friend of mine thinks she's just seen her in a tram going into town

Not answering phone (although iPhone says it is at friend's house) Best friend not answering hers either. Mum at the house she's staying at not answering text

Ideas please on WWYD now...

OP posts:
RitaTheBeater · 30/10/2021 22:56

in town on a drunken Saturday night is not the place for a 15 year old.
It was 8:30.

Ducksurprise · 30/10/2021 22:57

@chocolatecerealcampingbrekkie

Also you track her on her phone?Hmm
This is practically encouraged on MN. Thankfully in teenagers there are some parents that explain why this will only end in tears. Many suggest having family link so everyone knows where everyone is All The Time, alerts go out the moment the phone leaves home.
BurntO · 30/10/2021 22:58

I think you need reevaluate OP. 8:30 on a town centre on Halloween…why shouldn’t she be there? She’d been responsible and was with reliable friends with lifts organised.

I’d honestly be having a chat with her and saying I’m glad you were with your friends, you had arranged for a responsible adult to pick you up, I want you to have fun so please tell me next time and take your phone so I know what where you are.

chocolatecerealcampingbrekkie · 30/10/2021 22:59

@Ducksurprise good lord!! Madness

Mummyoflittledragon · 30/10/2021 23:01

we have not decided punishment yet

I don’t think you need a punishment as such. Your Dd has had a natural consequence. IE Not telling her the truth = not allowed to stay at the sleepover. If you go in too hard, you’re going to push your dd away. At nearly 16, she is going to have to learn to risk assess sometime soon.

Your dd by not telling the truth is sending the message you’re being too harsh on her and she doesn’t trust you. If your aim is to tell the truth in the future, punishment will have the opposite effect. Time to start connecting.

paisley256 · 30/10/2021 23:02

Ok she shouldn't lie but you've got to look at the reasons why.

She seems like a great kid who is doing well at school and it sounds like you both are lovely parents but a bit too strict.

My mum had me right under the thumb and wouldn't let me do half the things my mates were doing. So i began to lie. Fake names, addresses, phone numbers, you name it I lied about it because I thought she was being massively unfair. I was a good kid, did well at school but was desperate for some freedom.

Please be careful here because you could push her away and she could rebel.

Pregnagainagain · 30/10/2021 23:05

She’s lying because she’s the only one of her friends not allowed to go to town. She’s nearly 16, she’s going to push back

seriousandloyal · 30/10/2021 23:06

These poor kids getting spied on and tracked every minute! She is nearly 16 years old and was out at 8:30pm on Halloween with a bunch of her own friends! Wait until she comes home tomorrow and speak to about it then if you must.

HotSauceCommittee · 30/10/2021 23:08

Please don't punish her.

Bbq1 · 30/10/2021 23:10

Poor girl, treated like a 5 year old and repeatedly punished for doing normal age appropriate activities for that age. How embarrassing for her that you met her off the tram. I doubt you will have to worry much more Op because your daughter's friends will stop inviting her to sleepovers etc because everything she's at, you cause drama and drag her home. Then as soon as she's old enough she'll be off.

Pregnagainagain · 30/10/2021 23:13

I feel terrible for her. She’s probably embarrassed about being pulled away from her friends. She didn’t tell you because you would have let her go. She would have been the only one not allowed. Was she supposed to stay at the house whilst the other girls went?
Sounds like your husband is a controlling bully and you facilitate this. She can do get own thing in a couple of years and cut you off if she wants

bigbeatmanifesto · 30/10/2021 23:16

@jackstini

Oh I'd be so embarrassed if my parents drove all over the place looking for me pulled me away from my friends stopped me going to a Halloween sleepover all because I was out with them at 8pm on a Friday, she doesn't deserve a punishment I think you & your DH should apologise for being over the top & she should apologise for lying about her whereabouts (even though she lied because you wouldn't allow her at almost 16 to be out with friends) and start fresh with new boundaries for her before she rebels properly.
Imagine being 16 and your mum and dad have brought you home from town and now your friends are heading for a sleepover, I feel sorry for her TBH.

BiLuminous · 30/10/2021 23:16

Hey OP. I see you're getting flamed here and I feel a bit bad for you. I think you mean well, in terms of wanting to protect her, but I don't think that you're being age-appropriate.

I would do stuff like your daughter did at the same age because I was being controlled and I knew it. I knew I'd get a bollocking if I told the truth. Whenever I got caught i didn't want to come back either because I was afraid of being shouted at and hit.

Your DD sounds afraid of her father and maybe you.

seriousandloyal · 30/10/2021 23:17

Oh no, just read the full thread and saw that you met her off the tram and she couldn't go to the sleepover with her friends! How embarrassing, I feel so sorry for her. OP do you not remember ever being a teenager?

tedsletterofthelaw · 30/10/2021 23:19

I have no idea where you all live but as PP mentioned above, I live near Manchester and there is NO WAY I would allow a 15 year old into the city centre on a Saturday night, especially not Halloween. It is absolutely not an appropriate place for an underage child.

Small, sleepy town centres maybe. But not a big city if that's where OP lives.

Pregnagainagain · 30/10/2021 23:21

I’ve got a horrible feeling that threats (and maybe actual use) of physical punishment is going on here too? I hope not. I feel very bad for her

jackstini · 30/10/2021 23:21

Going to answer as many posts as poss now dd is in bed - tagged some but not all as many posters asking the same thing

Lots of things for us to think about - thank you. We will have a bigger, wider discussion tomorrow
Thank you for those that were worried about her

@Cascais @Tee20x The pics thing was as she had mentioned earlier they always forget to take pics and I said 'please send one of you all dressed for Halloween - it's fun to look back on'

DH is pretty strict, but the one thing he can't abide is lying
We have been letting her go out more especially over the last 18 months whenever possible and we do let her go into this city with these friends. She didn't ask tonight because she thought we would say no as it was a busy Saturday with the clocks going back and Halloween tomorrow, it was dark and their costumes were cropped/short (fine for house party, but poss not in a big city centre will lots of drunken people)

DH was going nuclear, I was more upset, disappointed and frustrated with her. This was a chance to do it right after being caught lying last time and she's royally screwed it up!

@FATEdestiny @meltingappointment The mum pulled in to pick them up just after I called dd over. DD said her friend had called her Mum when they were on the tram home, she didn't know where they were before, just 'out'

@mummymayhem18 - happy for her to be at the party in her firends house, DH lets her out later than 7 but if dark, doesn't like her in the city after 8.30ish on a Friday or Saturday - more because he doesn't trust other people!

dd does say none of here friend's parent are bothered about where they are and they have no curfews. It is only her that has strict parents

She has never asked to go to a party - which surprised me. She has said tonight she has been invited but she hasn't asked because she thought we'd say no. I would have been quite happy for her to go and give lifts etc!

@ladygracie - I absolute remember what I ws doing at her age - some was great fun and other stuff got me in situations I really wish I had not been in.

@PlanDeRaccordement - the deal was that she could go to her friends for a sleepover with some other girls. They did nip out in the afternoon as she texted DH and told him. He asked here what they were doing later and she replied 'staying in' She's not in trouble for a normal activity, she's in trouble for lying about it

@TupilaLilium - good idea re the talk whilst walking. Her curfew previously has been 8-9 when it's dark, 10-11 when not (depending on where she is) so not massively early I didn't think

@EineReiseDurchDieZeit There is only 1 McDonald's in our town. So strongly suspected she had gone into the city centre!

@Kintsugi16 - what do you mean? Do you think she shouldn't be punished for lying? Would you have let her carry on with the sleepover knowing that?

@WaltzingBetty - no I definitely don't want her to learn that. But she's not a fully grown adult yet and sometimes her judgement is a bit off. The mum had no idea where they were - untiil her daughter texted her after she had our message - then she came to pick them up

@RitaTheBeater @QueenAdreena- we have been saying yes to as much as we can recently (up until the lying a few weeks ago) and happy to give lifts and pay for things. Definitely don't always say no

OP posts:
Bumbl · 30/10/2021 23:24

So what was she meant to do when her friends went to the city centre? Stay at home on her own in her friends house?

meltingappointment · 30/10/2021 23:27

It's all about what your DH thinks here, isn't it?

Is he her Dad?

Why don't you seem to have any opinion?

CantBeAssed · 30/10/2021 23:29

Wow, this level of strictness is going to seriously bite you on the ass....I can't stand lying myself but sometimes you have to ask yourself why your dd feels she can't tell you the truth...Hmm

jackstini · 30/10/2021 23:30

@chocolatecerealcampingbrekkie - dh didn't go mad at the mum, he wasn't there

I didn't go into the city to get her all guns blazing, just picked her up from the tram stop

Only checked her phone location as she lied before. Have never done it without her permission, she knows she has to leave it on if she's out

@Pregnagainagain - no physical punishment no!

@Bumbl - just tell us where she was going, that's all!

@meltingappointment - yes he's her Dad and no it's not all about him at all. I had been pushing for more freedom and she's had it in recent months - she's just screwed it up by lying!

All - I really don't want to push her away or ruin her teenage years. I will go through this thread with her tomorrow and talk more. It is really helpful to get opinions and apologies if I was not clear on any points - bit worried at the time

OP posts:
user1000000000009 · 30/10/2021 23:30

Leave her be op. It was 8.30 on a Saturday night. I don't know any teenager that has to be in for 7pm on a weekend.

You're too strict. She was being collected by another parent after having a good day in town.

You're pushing her away. Your behaviour is a bit much with the going to McDonald's and sitting at the tram station waiting.

Bumbl · 30/10/2021 23:31

This bit "She didn't ask tonight because she thought we would say no as it was a busy Saturday with the clocks going back and Halloween tomorrow, it was dark and their costumes were cropped/short (fine for house party, but poss not in a big city centre will lots of drunken people)" ** is so odd.

That's clearly you/your DH's opinion. And the reason she won't tell you what she was doing - because she KNEW you would say no.

jackstini · 30/10/2021 23:35

@user1000000000009 The other parent was only called on the way home - she didn't know where they were before

She doesn't have to be in at 7pm on a weekend - have not said that. Just that city centre on a busy, dark, Sat night at 8.30 wasn't great

I went to the McDonalds as it's at the bottom of our road and if she had have been there as her friend told us, it would have been fine. She wasn't

OP posts:
OppsUpsSide · 30/10/2021 23:36

I don’t think you can punish someone into being honest with you

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