So, um, if your kids were grounded through Monday, and there was, say, a big Television Event happening tonight that you wanted to watch (that started before their bedtime) would it be poor parenting to suggest that everyone could watch some television together but then the grounding would be extended by one more day, afterwards?
Does your answer change in light of the fact that the commercials were a major disappointment?
How about if at one point your daughter claims to be JUST LIKE one of the players, and you enthusiastically agree, “Yes, you are EXACTLY like that gigantic man with biceps the size of my thighs, what with your enormous muscles, love of football, and of course you both have a penis,” and then for the rest of the interval until bedtime you have to listen to both children periodically screeching PENIS!!! and laughing hysterically?
Did you let them drink beer during the Big Television Event tonight? Otherwise, I say reasonable parenting.
Hopefully they’re remember your kindness when you’re old and infirmed. Remind them of it often in later years.
The commercials totally sucked. The game? Boring. In the middle of the third quarter, I found myself hoping for a bench clearing brawl.
Ours only gets 90 minutes of tv a day anyway, so she goes and reads or plays in her room if we want to watch tv and she’s used up her time already..or if she’s Amish, which is what we called being grounded around here.
I can so picture the kids screeching out “penis” at random intervals! If it’s any consolation (and I know it’s not… which is why I’m sharing ;-))… my daughter still does the same kinds of things and she’s almost 20!
Over in Bossy’s household her 10-year-old daughter was straining to hear the football commentator discussing the various player positions. Pointing to the really enormous guy on the screen Bossy’s daughter said in her horrified voice, “He’s a Sitter?” All of the adults in the room fell off their chairs at the thought that this giant in stretch pants was also a babysitter. “No,” Bossy’s husband corrected. “He’s a CENTER.”
Ha! My kids were in trouble to saying the toy room (aka basement) was “clean” when it was actually a pig sty. Greg in his infinite wisdom declared a 7pm bedtime last night. My nine year old son nearly passed out.
So we changed the punishment to Monday night. I’m so looking forward to an hour of homework, an hour of play, an hour of dinner and then BEDTIME! (I’m a mean mommy like that.)
What were you thinking? You totally missed an opportunity to ground them one day further for each and every time they screeched “Penis!” after you had asked and then told them not to 476 times. You could have then amused yourself by watching them struggle for self-control, knowing they don’t quite possess it, and knowing that you’ll be gaining lots more Amish-time that you’ll then have to later cave on because even though you had your fun showing them who’s boss you later realize how draconian it was and so you have to once again bow to their superiority in their incessant question, “But am I really grounded for 57 more days?”
I wouldn’t, of course, have any direct experience with this.
I just hide in my bedroom and watch it, preferably with the chips and soda I have hidden in there. And the chocolate. And maybe some ice cream.
“Go away, I’m not in here!”
Good times! The commercials *were* a huge disappointment, but the outcome of the game was FANTASTIC!! It’s a party here in Indy. Maybe I’ll yell out “penis” at random intervals today to celebrate.
When the daughter was young and grounded we’d send her to her room if there was a program we wanted to watch…therefore proving that grounding was totally horrendous and we were evil.
I didn’t watch, so I didn’t get to be disappointed. But at least the kids got to yell “penis”. That always improves my day, personally, when my son runs around yelling about penises. Especially in public. I hope they’re not still doing it at school today…
I’m thinking along the lines of Woman With Kids. I was going to suggest sentencing them to a night in their rooms while you watch the game in peace with a beer or three (or in my case, a glass of wine).
My favorite commercial was the one for the NFL from the NFL — you know, the “Saying Goodbye is Hard” piece. Of course, it’s even funnier when you know that I’m a die-hard Green Bay fan, and Favre announced Friday that he’s coming back.
The Snickers commercial where the two guys “accidentally kiss” was funny. I also liked the ones for the job finder where the people were all in the woods and battling things like flying pens, those little black paper clip things and running off the side of the cliff like lemmings. And the Doritos one where the guy driving rear ends someone because he’s looking at the girl eating her chips, who is watching him…and they are both klutzy and dorky and sweet.
Game sucked…play? They weren’t playing. They had one good play and that was the very first one. And even that wasn’t a play, it was lucky…oh bears, what went wrong?!
There was a television event? I went to a party and seem to remember something on the television, but I don’t guess it was that exciting to even register in my mind what it was.
DivaDaughter (she is 12) would rather die an unspeakable death, than be forced to utter the diabolical word ‘Penis’ outloud. ::grin::
I can see I missed out on a major opportunity here. I just hate it when that happens.
Yeah, the commercials sucked, but Prince was pretty cool.
The game was better than usual. I mean it’s the SuperBowl, when is good football equated with the SuperBowl?
The commercials were rather disappointing. Gosh, 2.6 mil just doesn’t go far these days, does it’? There was one that made me snicker, but I forgot what it was.
The LIONS – carrrrrrne asada! Ricardo Montalbon?
BWAAAAAHAHAHAHA!
YAY COLTS!
At least you were anatomically correct! Imagine how much worse it could have been if you’d used a euphemism….
Thanks for the laugh! That was great!
Woman with Kids gets my vote. Soda, chips, chocolate and ice cream? She watches TV in style!
Oh, I almost forgot. PENIS. *grins*
LOL! Penis, penis, penis! Bwahahahahaaa!!!
Okay, so I admit that sometimes I have the mental and emotional maturity of an 8 year old girl. Is there a support group for that? Immaturity Anonymous? “Hello, my name is Rachel May, and I’m (PENIS! PENIS! PENIS!) immature sometimes. I know that with your (PENIS!) 12-step program, I can get over my addiction.”
We now return you to your normal programming.
Why is anybody expecting good commercials from the Super Bowl any longer. It has been years since this has been a fun time for commercials. I can only guess that they spend so much money on the “spot” that they can’t afford a decent ad agency to create it any longer. (I’m sure somebody somewhere is blaming the 2000 Super Bowl with all the dopey Dot Bomb Ads for running the cost of the commercials up.)
As for would I suspend grounding. Probably not. But then again, I was “so interested” in the Super Bowl I was watching the Scooby Bowl Marathon on Cartoon Network, and didn’t tune in until after my daughter was asleep, so I guess I am not the right demographic to ask.
Well, I wasn’t on board until you said “penis,” but that talked me into it. It is definitely not poor parenting and you can definitely suspend the grounding for a day.
Penis.
*giggles*
The commercials did stink. I was sad. Oh, well, maybe next year will be better!
The screeching means you made the right choice! LOL
I have teens, so I know from grounding…
This may not be of direct relevance to your situation, but it just might have avoided it. Dunno.
My strategy for grounding is to declare the length of the sentence. HOWEVER, if the kid abides by the grounding with a good attitude – no surliness, no snarling, must appear AND CONVERSE at mealtimes, do their chores with no more than usual groaning – if they do all that, for every day that they behave with grace, one day is taken off their sentence. We make a list of expectations, so it’s fair and clear in advance.
This accomplishes a few things: they can cut their housebound time in half (and learn a life lesson about grace under pressure), and I am not held hostage for days in a house with a sullen, angry teen! Talk about yer win-win.