"High Tech" Parenting

My 16-year-old (Lily) called me at work last Monday to ask about what time she could go over to her friend Kaylee's house. They were having a back-to-school bonfire, and she needed to get over there and help get everything ready for the evening's festivities. I had previously informed her that she wasn’t doing ANYTHING until her bedroom and bathroom were cleaned to my specifications. She assured me both jobs had been done and done well. Now…Lily is notorious for saying she:

- cleaned her room
- took out the trash
- folded her laundry
- unloaded the dishwasher
- etc., etc…..

when, in fact, she did not. My final comment to her before I hung up the phone was, “I will be checking when I get home, and if it’s not done, you are NOT GOING ANYWHERE.” Her response was a superior and confident, “Fine.” This was at 3:00 pm. I would be home in approximately two hours which, considering what those rooms looked like, was not enough time to get them both done. Four minutes later, I received the following photos via my cell phone with the message:

Told you :)

That kid cracks me up, but it's nice to know she took me seriously.