Couple of my friend's neighbors have daughters born on the same day.

One family is VERY well off, and the daughter is a bit of a snot, despite her very down-to-earth, grounded parents. Let's call them the "Jones" family...

The other family is blue-collar, with not much left after stuff is paid for, though the kid is as happy as she could be, and could care less. They'll be the "Smith" family.

Both sets of parents are good friends, and like each other and the daughters equally well.

Well, 16th birthday rolls around for each of them. Of course, both girls want a car for their 16th.

The Smith's can't swing a car, but give their daughter a very good birthday party, and she'll tickled pink with the attention, the party, and what she does receive for gifts. Her parents put some money in an account for her, to help her get started toward a car, and she's been saving along the way.

The Jones' buy their daughter a car.

It's not the car SHE said she wanted (it was a used Honda, vs. a brand new BMW), and not a color she liked, and she went absolutely apeschit. Ruined her party, threw a fit.... Her parents were mortified, hurt, and genuinely pissed.

Well, the parties were on Friday.

On Sunday, Mr. Jones comes over to the Smith house to get ready to go play golf. Miss Smith (daughter) comes down, and tell her Dad that within about 6 months, with working extra, she thinks she'll have enough to put a down payment on a decent car, and make the insurance payments for the rest of her HS career.

Mr. Jones asks how much she has saved. She tells him, and says that $X of it is for the insurance for the next two years, and she wanted that paid for first, leaving her only $Y for the car, thus far.

His response?

"Cut me a check, for that amount." And, he tossed her the keys to the car his daughter didn't appreciate.

Took a few minutes for Mr. Smith and his daughter to make sure this was happening, and to get everything kosher, but the deal was done... right then.

Little Miss Smith will be riding the bus, or buying her own car, btw.

Lessons learned, all the way around.

ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING!!! I really really hope BOTH girls get the lesson that is staring them both in the face.
Just awesome.
Hey, tell Mr. Jones 'Well done!' from a parent he'll probably never meet, for having the kahunas to do the right thing. He 'might' just save his daughter from a life of misery.

+1

Little Miss Snot is really going to throw another fit when she finds this out, too bad, I wish I was there to see it.

WOW! That is AMAZING!

Thanks VA, that made my day!!

Mike

Oh, she did.

Her Dad's response?

"Your mother and I gave you a gift. You didn't want it and refused it. I bought it, your mother and I paid for it, you didn't want it, so I sold it to someone who did want it, and your mother supports the sale. If you want a car, now, you'll have to buy yourself one."

Then, he went to play golf with Mr. Smith, as had been the plan.

Ain't Karma a beotch?

While on the subject of parenting - another nugget for the 'fire. Anyone with a teenage daughter has had them snort, stomp off, and then slam their bedroom door shut. Got tired of this drama from little miss crowrifle, so I simply pulled the hinge pins and leaned the door against the wall in her bedroom. Hung an old bed sheet for her privacy and told her to slam that all she wanted.

She might still snort and stomp some, but she ain't never slammed that door again.

absolutely perfect!!!

Should add that we should all be so lucky to have had parents that would bitch slap us back into our place when we acted out. The girl don't know it yet but she should be thanking her dad.

She will one day, hw.

That is absolutely OUTSTANDING!

When I was around 4 or 5 years old, my father took me to a video arcade. First we went and got a bunch of tokens out of the machine, and then went looking for a game.

The arcade was really busy that day, and all the "good" games had four or five people waiting in line. The rest of the games were occupied. After going around the arcade looking for an open game and not finding one, my bottom lip started trembling, and I might have sniffled once or twice.

That's all it took for my old man to yank the tokens out of my hand, give them to some kid waiting paitently in line, and haul my ass out the door.

I learned my lesson.

Brian.

My video arcade was a pinball machine at the truck stop
Getting old
geo

Miss Jones got the most valuable gift of all. Might be some time before she realizes it, and she might not ever...but it is still there for her.

i did that, girls thought slamming a door was their way to get the last word in a discussion.....never failed they would do it when Darla had a migraine.....said [bleep] it and removed the doors while they were at school havent had an issue with them slamming doors since even though they got doors again when we moved to the new house 5 years ago.........

AWESOME!

My little girl will turn one year old on the 2nd of June and God willing I won't have to deal with a brat like that in the next 15 years.

SWEET!!!!!

Good for the Jones' to not cave. Teen Smith gives me hope for our future.

If she turns out that way you could always pull out the ultimate punishment and send her to Auburn. grins

Love it! I have seen enough snotty teen girls to really appreciate the good ones.

I think you mean Miss Jones will be riding the bus, right?

That story should be national news as motivation to other parents who seem to be afraid of their kids. One of the best ever posted here on the 'fire, fo sho!

have repeatedly told the girls when they dont agree with something that if they want to start helping pay bills they will get a vote.....lil as $100 a month towards chit gets them a vote.....at $400 they start getting veto power on certain things....neither have taking me up on it yet

When we're out and other kids are being snots I point to them and tell my boys (in front of the other parents), "See those kids over there? One day they'll be working for you."

Had a lady storm out of Micky D's over that one.

I gotta remember that...

Sad part is, they'll not be working most likely; just leaching.

Excellent outcome.

That is a great story!

A wonderful lesson that should have been followed with a sit down discussion on how and why things came about. Might be a bit tough on the daughters' friendship though. Good luck,

I hope the guy didn't take too bad a beating. We should take up a collection on his behalf.

Still, spoiled kids are not self-made. The parents placed the rug under her feet and then jerked it out. Better late than never, but it didn't have to happen at all.

Good job on the parent's part teaching the little miss Snotty Brat a lesson.

Knowing the parents and the kids involved, it seems that this one turned "little miss b!tch goddess" almost all on her own. Counter to everything her parents have done, taught, enforced.... she just has that "entitlement" mindset, regardless of anything her parents seem to do.

Yeah, sorry VA, I should have said, "Most spoiled kids are not self-made."

Some seem to catch it from spoiled friends, or from the 'it's all about me' society we're stuck in. Kudos to your friends for sticking with the battle.

I can EASILY believe the spoiled friends part.

can see how it happens.....have to repeatedly knock Kate off her high horse to try and keep her grounded.....sometimes i dont think its the parents but the kids think some of the bullchit reality shows they watch make them think thats how real life is.....one of the last times Kate started thinking she deserved something i showed her what the screw in her knee cost us out of pocket.....that one kept her down for quite awhile

I'm guessing the Jones daughter isn't talking to the Smith daughter, now.

Great read!!
Nothing like a good kick in the ass at a young age...

VA, tell Mr. Jones he's my hero, and he's lucky he and the wife are on the same page. It truly does my heart good to see someone else having a positive impact on their kid's upbringing. Regardless of how hard it is.

Note to Self: Call Dr. Balice in Bozeman, and thank him again for the vasectomy...

You gotta love a story with a good ending.

Next time, I'd beat CPS to the punch, and dare them to see me in family court. Wanna play? Good, let's play.

You got a visit from CPS for removing the door of a bedroom in your own home? Is that correct? Which communist state is this so I can avoid it all costs (which is getting harder and harder to do as the list keeps growing).

I had a friend (co-worker) who spoiled his daughters in a big way. His excuse? He said that as a divorced parent he had to ensure his daughters would not become scarce at his house.

Once, in my presence, his daughter asked for his car. He asked back, if they had cleaned up the kitchen - as it was their chore to do. His daughter got indignant. She said she was in a rush. He said "kitchen first" - she told him (in front of me) to f*ck off before she stormed out of the house.

To make a long story short - he ended up buying her two cars (she wrecked the first one) he also paid for gas - and insurance for her. He was constantly trying to buy the company and affection of his kids.

I told him that I thought that he was in the process of creating two un-marriageable little b*tches.

It's been 20 years now - his daughters have a string of very unsuccessful relationships - they are still single, still unhappy, and still - let's just say "not very nice".

I am the father of three young girls right now. Their mom and I are divorced. We have agreed to make our girls pay for everything they have. They have been told they will be buying their own car, gas and insurance - we have said we might chip in a bit - if they stay on the honour role at school. So far, they are all on the honour role.

Raising good kids isn't brain surgery.

But - as a parent (and as a teacher) I get amazed every day at some parent's inability to connect the dots - in what should be, a simple process. Never reward bad behavior. Reward what you want to see. Be consistent. Don't move the goal-posts while the game is in session.

Besides not spoiling my girls - taking them fishing, hunting, shooting and for ATV rides in the woods - is the reward they each like best.

I'm a lucky man.

Call me a pesimist but I think little miss snot will get back at mommy and daddy and is going to go out and get hammered and pregnant with bubba from down the road just to show she is in control. I think we have all seen something like it before. Otherwise, I think daddy is trying to be a real stand up guy. It's just that his daughter does not see it. kwg

Shocked me too. The real question being WHO alerted CPS in the first place?

We've had a few high profile tragic events in this city where CPS dropped the ball, including one where a poor little boy was taped to a bed and slowly starved to death. Shocks me even now when I drive by that part of town that such evil could occur there, right under the noses of good people all over the neighborhood.

So I'd immediately think that CPS in Bassi's neck of the woods clearly doesn't have enough to do. But then, maybe its easier to pick on the law-abiding.

Birdwatcher

10 to 1 that the kid called CPS.

Well done!

could have been. Could also have been the school or the X. I'll never know because in this state they won't release the name of the accuser - ever.

I really regret posting what I did earlier. I don't like to air my laundry and wish you guys hadn't quoted me so I could delete it. Your story just struck a cord.

Kid, or ex (with the kid calling her).

Consider anything I quoted, deleted.

Hope others follow suit.

I agree. Let's play.

Appreciate it VA

And I bet the young lady who got the car didn't care what color, make or model it is either!

just so yah know you arent the only one in that boat, fortunately for me the one here that does the onsite inspection has a good head on her shoulders.....after the second visit when she told us we had to be stricter with the kids it is my understanding they kept telling those calling it in "we will look into it" after which the city police chief would get a call, he would walk over to the office and ask how the girls were doing, we would say fine, and he would walk back to his office and let CPS know nothing was going on

What's the housing market like around there?

Rattler;

Delete that.

Trust me.

aint nothing that isnt common knowledge here....the ex even knows what happened....

CPS really pisses me off.

Had an incident with them a few years ago. My wife was in town and had just finished shopping. When she was putting the last of the two kids in the car something in her back popped and she instantly had terrible pain. she got in the car and started to head home, but realized that there was no way she could tolerate the pain that she was in. She drove to the nearest urgent care clinic and parked by the front door. She tried to get the kids out but was in too much pain to lift them, so she locked the doors and went into the office and let the lady at the front desk know that the kids were out there still and that she was unable to lift them out of the car seat. The nurse promptly went out and fetched the kids.

However within the two + or - minutes that the kids were unattended in the car someone must have walked by and seen them in there because later that night we got a call from CPS, and a threatening call at that, taking the kids from us was mentioned more than once. They wanted to come to the house to observe the conditions and I refused. We finally had to get a letter from our pediatrician stating that she believed we were good parents and everything else to get those azzhats off our back.

Meanwhile within a few months of this happening it turns out a kid not to far from us is found to have been abused and starved so badly that her development was set back years. She was 12 and only the size of a 6 year old. Apparently CPS had been called about this more than once but did nothing to investigate. It wasn't until one of the neighbors called animal control and reported animal abuse that someone came over to rescue the animals and found the kid in that kind of shape.

Really pisses me off that they turned there cheek on that little girl but harassed me and my wife for months over leaving a kid in a car for 2 minutes on a 55 degree day when it was physically impossible for my wife to move them.

(Smiling here...)

Note to Self: Call ingwe's vet in Bozeman, Dr Ball Ice, and thank him for all of us.

I love it when you leave such a good opening...

keep in mind my family has been here bout 100 years and what was reported against us was petty BS and the ex's family got in trouble over it.....wasnt a single accusation of abuse or any of that.....one of them was literally the ex saying it was to much to ask a 12 year old to make toast.....

i love the bed sheet idea. i think imma instigate a little drama just to try that one out!!!!!!!!!!!

War Eagle, my oldest boy turns 6 on the 2nd of June. It's a good day. Mine is getting his first dirt bike, 2006 honda CRF50. Hope your little one has an awesome birthday.

Digs

Sean, I've seen it a number of times: a great, thoughtful kid rises out of a miserable, derelict home and good parents wringing their hands over a car wreck of a child going every which way but right. Of course most of the time they reflect their upbringing, good or bad.

Great story; I admire both Miss Smith and Mr/Mrs Jones.

Great story. Wisdom in our culture may be on life support but not dead.

That's outstanding! Great stuff. Hope those parents cured the problem with the brat.

Works on 6 year olds too. When I hear the "I don't like "____"!" "____" gets put in a bag for goodwill "cause I'm sure there are plenty of kids that do like "___"....

Amazing how the complaints stop when their schit goes out the door.

made my day Sean


still plenty of good folks about, moms and dads, kids too.


buy Mr. Jones a beer for me Sean, pm me your addy and I'll send you funds to cover it.

You'd be amazed what bad influences kids can pick up at school, one bad friend can really steer a good kid in the wrong direction, and add a dose of hormones to the mix.

So?