To have got a bit cross and shouty...

Mr P seems to have bin allergy.

There are some things that he appears to be utterly incapable of putting in the bin. Beer bottle tops, the plastic disc thing that you have to pull off a new pint of milk, cellophane, corks.........

nightowl love your kitchen bin experiment!

I regularly do the 'empty toilet roll' experiment to see just how many empties are lined up before someone other than me shifts them. It's no good, I've let it get up to seven and then I cave in!

I'm four days into the kitchen bin experiment (seeing how long before someone else empties it) and there is still no movement. I am still seeing to the compost and recycling - I'm not ready to descend into complete chaos - but I'm still intrigued as to why the waste bin remains full. Can't work out where he's putting the rubbish either. I'm taking mine out to the wheelie bin but what on earth is he doing with his?

Iam that story made me chuckle out loud.

Iam

Good for Mum !

When I was 12 I returned home from a domestic science lesson, and explained to mum that the way she was peeling potatoes for tea was "wrong". Miss Parkin (yes, that honestly was our domestic science teacher's name) had us all lined up, and demonstrated the correct way to peel potatoes. This involved a bowl of water, newspaper and a potato peeler. I demonstrated this to mum, who encouraged me to show her again (and again, and again till the spuds were all peeled). I was surprised to see the following evening that she was still peeling potatoes in the wrong way.....

No when, I said it out loud.......

bags...definitely no hedge trimming for you, until you've had a good, long rest.

Did you do that look, Ella? The one that means 'I told you so' but you would never DREAM of saying it!

I've already had that very smug moment when

Oh, that took me right back, Iam64. At one point I had four teenagers in the house - boys of 15 and 19, and twin girls, 13. The boys didn't do the drama thing, they just went their own sweet way and hid it from me. The girls would slam, thud and gesture about everything. Not a door frame was secure after all the slamming and banging, usually accompanied by 'I HATE living here!'

I do hope I'm around in 10 years time when their children start becoming teenagers!

Iam64, summed up in a nutshell

thatbags - I didn't realise your teenager wasn't quite a teenager yet. Oh the joys ahead. I do believe the only thing worse than being a girl between the ages of about 12 and about 17, is to be the mother of girls that age. Boundaries seem to need constant re-negotiation, at length and often involve tears, or doors going bang, stairs going thud. Your comment about the 'take no prisoners voice' is a good one. I found saving my 'voice' for the few really serious issues was helpful all round. I gave up the fight on leaving the house having had a good breakfast, in full school uniform and without makeup by the time they were about 13, year 9 I suppose. They faced the music at school, and I saved my energy for stuff I could actually do something about. But you know all this don't you - get back to hedge trimming and enjoying being outside I'd say x

For untidy children look at the picture I've just put on the picture thread.

I think that aspect of texting is great, I've been very glad to receive reminder texts from the car dealers, doctors, hairdressers, hospital etc.

We did that with offenders, too, vegas. The arrival of mobile phones and texting did wonders for improving attendance and multi-agency groups that supervise prolific and high risk offenders now routinely give them a cheap (non-Internet) phone so they can keep in touch and remind them about appointments.

Good idea, vegas! The school already sends out messages by text for other things.

when, it's the truanting aspect that worries me! Not sure she's the 'type' but the service buses don't go right to school but stop in town, so there's then a walk of two or three km to school. Of course she can do the walk easily but...

The wet sponge treatment will be easy, but I need to gird my loins to let her sleep too late. I don't think I'm ready for all that that entails yet.

When I was a Head of Dept in FE, I tried to introduce a new timetable where classes didn't start until 10.00 or 10.30, as attendance at earlier classes was dreadful and much time and effort was taken up in chasing the no shows/late attenders. Although I did produce research to demonstrate that teenagers were more productive later in the day, the Principal wouldn't hear of it. However, when it got to the point that virtually all the students had mobile phones, we used to send out wake up text messages (quite easy to set up a class group) and this met with the approval of both students and their fed up parents. We also used to send out exam reminders.

Yes, good luck, bags. Just to put a spanner in the works, my mum allowed me to be late when I was around that age, as I wanted to seep till noon (there's been some research supporting this for teenagers recently, suggesting later school starts in the morning). I got into trouble at school, so knowing what was coming, it was easier to truant! That became a regular habit. I think I'm back on track with my education now.

Good luck bags, we're right behind you.

I think that might have turned me more than a bit 'cross and shouty' and she's not a teenager yet; poor you.

vegas, have fun!