The Real lJ Idol, Week 12: Salty

[my_name_is_jenn]

She knows she's in trouble when she hears the front door slam, followed by the unmistakable sound of something small and not quite soft thudding against the wall. It hits her in that moment. She left her shoes by the front door again. She runs out to the living room to try to diffuse the situation before it gets out of control. The splash of mud on

Comments

[rayaso]

What an excellent portrayal of a truly awful mother! I'm glad the little girl finally spoke up.

[my_name_is_jenn]

She's gotten better as the years have gone by, thankfully.

[beeker121]

Yup, if you've gotta do the chore you may as well express your feelings about it. I hope it's her senior prom so she can get out soon.

[my_name_is_jenn]

It was my senior prom and it's been 15 years (how did 15 years go by already!?). Things have improved greatly between us since then.

[alycewilson]

Oh, wow. I didn't realize this actually happened to you. You have all of my admiration for staying strong, and finding humor as a source of rebellion rather than turning violent or bitter.

[halfshellvenus]

"I'm sorry, momma! I took off my shoes 'cuz they were muddy but then the baby needed a diaper change and Kyle needed a snack and then I started on my homework and I just forgot.
Which would be a reasonable excuse for anyone, but an eight year old? That's way too much to put on her.

I'll bet this girl ran as far away as she could as soon as she was able. There's nothing like being asked to do your mother's job as a child, and then taking the blame for things not turning out perfectly.

My dad had a long career as a psychiatrist, which included some consulting at a facility for delinquent juvenile girls. He always said that one of ways to turn a child down the wrong path was to keep accusing them of mistakes and bad behavior. Before long, they'll figure out that if they're going to get the punishment regardless, they might as well actually misbehave and at least enjoy it. :(

ETA: Oh no, I see that this is not entirely fictional. Oh, that's so much worse. I'm sorry you grew up with that.

[my_name_is_jenn]

I ran clear across to the other side of the country after graduating high school. I figured roughly 3,000 miles was far enough away. ;)

We've got a fairly decent relationship now. I think my being away from home for six years opened her eyes to a lot of issues that had nothing to do with me, and she's since tried to make amends.

And yes, I did start misbehaving intentionally because I knew the punishment was coming regardless. I used to bait my brother into getting upset and throwing tantrums. I could see a tantrum coming and I'd encourage it, haha.

[shadowwolf13]

Not a good mom >:(

[mamas_minion]

Yikes, that is not a very nice mother. It sounds to me like the way the brother was treated he is going to be a problem when he is older.

[my_name_is_jenn]

He had difficulties growing up. He was diagnosed as being on the Autism spectrum at 3 years old and with OCD when he was 8. He very rarely suffered any consequences as a kid, so now has a very difficult time handling disappointment or when things don't go exactly his way.