Charlie has been a bit clingy all weekend. In the morning, the children start talking about pocket money over breakfast, Charlie is not present, she is in bathroom cleaning her teeth
Suddenly Charlie is in room with us, still cleaning her teeth. She starts talking about pocket money, there’s no chance for me to discuss it with the children. Was she really listening in even whilst cleaning her teeth!
Charlie takes over again, before we know it, she has printed of list of jobs children must do to get pocket money. Clean the toilets, vacuuming, extra cleaning. They already make their own breakfast and lunch and tidy their own rooms. It seems like Charlie isn’t doing much. I’m kind of on board, but do 7 years really need to be cleaning the toilet for pocket money?
In the evening, I am asking Ollie at tea about what he’s been doing with Sam over at friends house, Ollie mentions that Sam is not always well behaved and recently got close to a car driving on the road. I want to subtly find out more, but Charlie starts interrupting confusing it with a previous incident that I know is not what Ollie is talking about.
I ask Charlie to let me talk to Ollie, but she interrupts again. When I put my foot down and say I am parenting, she gets angry. I’m not sure how else I can be responsible parent if Charlie is obstructing all the time. So the following around behaviour starts again. Every time I am alone with one of the children, she appears within a minute and is listening in, I could almost time her with a stopwatch. If she manages to catch the conversation she will interrupt with her own backchat as if to say ‘I heard you’. It is hard.