When I Can Drive

Instead of being bombarded with ridiculous requests of ear piercing, hair dying and those damn Bratz dolls, we've instituted a brilliant avoidance tactic. She can engage in what we deem as "mature activity" or really, stuff we think no four year old should have her hands on, when she can drive.

We figure, if she still wants to purchase all sorts of whore-like, leopard print bra-wearing baby dolls and dye her hair platinum blonde when she's 25 (the legal driving age we're hoping they institute by the time she becomes a teenager), then she can feel free to do so.

It's become the quick and effective solution for most dilemmas in our household, particularly when the long winded answer we probably should give her involves us explaining society's ridiculous stereotypes and oversexualization of young girls.

And it's just a way better answer to the whole "But so-and-so has one, and her mom lets her" statement than "Well, we don't care what so-and-so and her mom does. We're your parents and we care about you. And just because they're wearing Cavariccis and Outback Red doesn't make them any better."

To think I'd be begging to wear that shit.

[I digress]

What's interesting is that she's already figured out what's off limits just based on what we've already banned to driving age. In fact, she added Hannah Montana all on her very own.

And so, we'll continue on with our perfect little scheme as long as we can, which will be when she figures out that she won't be driving next year.

Basically, we've got another good month until we're busted.

[My deepest thanks for your comments on my post yesterday. I cried, I nodded, and I smiled. And most importantly, I didn't yell.]

Comments

[Hand Me Downs]

Hi

Thanks for the nice tactic. I tried it already when my 11yr old wanted to streak her hair. and it worked like a charm.

Thank you once again.

[Courtney]

That's a great answer. I'm going to have to remember that one...

[MommyNamedApril]

love that tactic. will totally borrow it. may not return it. sorry.

[mannequin]

Saying "when you can drive" makes it sound so....so soon.
I got a little rebel on my hands. Anything the majority of kids like, he rebels against. Hopefully that means he won't mind my going on dates with him and a girl I pick out. When he's 25.

[Issa]

You're nicer than me. Mine don't get to drive until they are 30. They can get married and have kids after they turn 35. They think I'm so funny. What they haven't realized is as soon as they learned how to write their names, I had them sign a contract.

[mom, again]

I smugly promised that weird punk hair color would be allowed when straight A's came home. Though she had the aptitude for it, her punk attitude meant it would never happen.

A few years ago, around 22 yrs old, she said 'remember all those years I thought I was stickin' it to the man by not doing schoolwork? I was just screwin' myself. I coulda had scholarships, instead I'm flippin' burgers.' Yes, we did reply 'told you so'.

In the spring she will have earned an accounting certificate, with plans to get a job at Disneys offices, to take advantage of their benefits, incl. tuition support. Go punk girl, go!

[Issa]

You're nicer than me. Mine don't get to drive until they are 30. They can get married and have kids after they turn 35. They think I'm so funny. What they haven't realized is as soon as they learned how to write their names, I had them sign a contract.

[Jill in Atlanta]

When my son was four, he asked, "How old do I have to be to have gum? Like six?" And the logical answer to that was, "Um, yeah, six". Now the request is from the other son, now 4yo, but his is for a motorcycle. "Six" won't work for this one, so I said, "When you can pay for hospitals yourself." He seemed ok with the answer.

[Heather]

Outback Red. Ha ha ha ha. What about Forenza? Guess jeans. Esprit. Swatch watches.

Good stuff.

[goodfather]

TOP 10!!!!

We are SO LUCKY to have bi-cultural girls! My wife is German, so we can draw from her side for the kids' stuff. Bibi Blocksberg doesn't have a line of whore-dolls, heh.

[Crockstar]

OMG! Outback Red, the clothes with the tag on the outside right?

I can't stand the Bratz but I do really miss Lizzy Maguire she was much better than Hannah Montana. (Can't believe I am debating disney characters)

[Lisa]

Cavariccis and Outback Red - that took me right back to 1986...in a good way!

[Lee from MWOB]

I have two girls - 4 and 6 and the Bratz thing just freaks me out. To be honest, Barbie does too. They don't have their ears pierced and I'm hanging on for dear life as I try to preserve their "innocence" as long as I can. The thought of exposing them to crap long before they need to be exposed just breaks my heart....

...avoidance technique. It's a good one. I keep saying when you're 16....but I like the driving one. : - )

(P.S. I tried to post yesterday but something weird happened - we all feel ya sista in one way or another but I'm hoping you can realize you don't need to compete with the other you - just find a few minutes in between the chaos to unbury her once in a while. )

[Child Care]

Kids crave for certain things. They may not judge properly what's good and what's bad. As a parent we need cultivate it.

Lucy

[Lynette]

I usually say "When you have a job" Unfortunately, she's been begging for a job since she was about 8. Geez.

[Amanda]

There are many things we've delegated as things they can do either "when you're a teenager" or "when you're a grown up". Works for now!

[eryn]

That's funny. We have been telling the kid the same thing, essentially. "When you are sixteen" It's now the age she can swear also because I figure between driving and high school, she will probably need to let out a curse every so often.
P.S.
Did you see that article about a bunch of Bratz being pulled off the market because they lost a lawsuit with Mattel?