Wednesday, January 10, 2006
Last night we had an interesting altercation - my daughter and I - because she refused to listen to what I was telling her. We started talking about an uncle and his family, and she got several relationships mixed up - "No, he is her uncle, not her brother!" She had been around these people several times, so I was dismayed.
I patiently explained to Alesia who was who on that end of the family. The whole time, she was looking down, playing with the dog, etc. I would expect that from a squirmy 5-10 year old, but not a 15 year old. I finally stopped and said "Have you been listening to me?" She looked startled. "Well, I didn't need to, you gave me a chart!" OK, I did give her a very rudimentary chart of the family relationships some months ago, but she sure didn't memorize it, not that I expected that. I was just ticked that she was so snotty in her tone. So I started again, and again she was not paying any attention.
Finally I said "Alesia I am sitting her trying to talk to you and you are not paying attention. That's VERY RUDE." I asked her some questions about what I'd just told her. She missed one. She was unrepentant when I rebuked her. "But I have a chart! What difference does it make!"
I scolded her again for being rude. By this time I was really getting fed up. I wasn't asking her to memorize the Periodic Table or anything, just remember the names of a few cousins. We always watch a movie after dinner. I told her to apologize or there would be no movie and she would have to go to bed - it was 8:45. She finally got the point. She refused to apologize and took the bed option.
By then I was seething. I made her sit down and I did my best Mommie Dearest imitation and told her how disappointed I was that she would refuse to apologize, would refuse to understand good manners. I shouldn't have done it, but I even pointed out that I am dead broke at the moment because money is tight and I wanted her to have a nice Christmas. "I work very hard at work, AND here at home, and you won't even be courteous enough to listen when I am trying to tell you some important information about our family?" She was stone-faced. "Just go to bed, then, I don't want to look at you," I snapped.
So she goes to bed. I sit down to watch the Netflix movie I had ordered, with great excitement, "Alexander." I wasn't thrilled with watching Colin Farrell with bonde hair, but I like history and mythology, and Alexander was an important person in world history. I thought I'd just watch it later with Alesia and she could get a little history lesson. Oops. It was dreadfully bad. REALLY bad. Bad acting, bad dialogue, bad accents. I couldn't believe Oliver Stone would make such a godawful film. I watched it for 45 minutes and turned it off.
So I realized later, that in sending Alesia to bed, she got a MUCH more entertaining and relaxing experience!
