Stick'n to my GUNS!

OK, I should know better by now not to threaten something that I really don't want to follow through with....BUT....I did! Now I have to follow through. Morgan doesn't think so but I'm trying to find the loop hole. She thinks I am just being an ogre. Here's the story....Last night Morgan came home from school and decided to take over the house, she really does think she runs it. Anyway, her job was to clean the kitchen, so she was in there working away when....Carter and Hayden came in wanting some salami on crackers, no big deal right? Wrong, Boice World War III ( probably more like a zillion). Morgan decided he shouldn't eat the salami, so promptly took it away, then a war of wills & name calling, before I stepped in and gave back the salami. Then she decided since she was cleaning the kitchen he couldn't come into the kitchen. This is where I threatened her. The threat? "You won't go to Boise this weekend"! She has a volleyball tournament in Boise this weekend and we are supposed to leave Friday. Thinking that would take care of it I left, only to be summoned again with Carter lying on the floor crying. This after he kicked her in the shin, which came after she slapped him. So the follow through. Which to make matter worse as I left I heard her tell Carter that she could still go because I wouldn't follow through with it. Now I have to. Sometimes being the parent really bites. Actually a lot of the time, it is a thankless job when you have teenagers. I wish they could understand how much we really want them to succeed. How much we really want them to do it all... to go out with their friends, go to the skate park, play sports & all those other things they love to do. It about kills me when I have to say "NO", to something I know they really, really want to do. Even last night after she came into our room begging to go, Shawn said "you just about told her yes, didn't you". I really want her to go. Then I hear things like, "Dad are you driving today because I don't want to ride with mom". What's that all about, dad is just as much the bad guy as I am! That would be Shade as he is struggling with school again. He does so good, then BAM he just quits, then we have to go through this....

On a bright note Aspen told me yesterday that it is her 18th birthday and she wants a baby cow & a baby horse. Does that mean I get to skip her teenage years? She celebrates her birthday at least 3 days a week, so realistically it will fly by! Ha, Ha! She does love her birthdays. Anytime we have cake it becomes her birthday cake. If she finds a card it is her birthday card and she has to put a dollar in it. Actually now that I think about it I don't want her to grow up, maybe she can stay 3! Love her so much. And... I love the other 3 also, frustrated with them but LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, them.