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10.15.02 11:35 PM

spoiling the child

Her mother ate a lot of seafood when she was pregnant with her, and like a crack baby who comes out with drug withdrawls, I'll tell you this kid came out with a seafood fetish like I have never seen. This background is necessary in order to explain how she hoodwinked me recently. And the cellphone was a tool she used in the game. On one of my last visits with her, she, T., and I went to Red Lobster. The kid wanted a 1/2 lobster. Go figure. That is what she wanted. Before going to eat, she wanted to stop at the pet shop. She said she had asked her mother for a lizard, and her mother said she would get it in time. The kid of course wanted it now, and felt her mother would never get it. The kid looked at lizards, and T. looked at all the little fuzzy animals. I had no interest in any of the pets. No I am not a pet hater, but I also do not fawn on animals.

As we got to Red Lobster, the kid had done a switch up. In place of her smile was a frown. She picked up her cell and called her mom, repeatedly, until her mother would answer. She gave the phone to me. Trick number one. This kid is good. "She was telling me you promised her a lizard, but you haven't told her when she would get it," I said. "Put her on the phone," my sister responded agitatedly. When my niece hung up the phone, tears streamed down her face. I told you, the kid is good. I called my sister back—on the kid's phone. "Your daughter is over here, in the restaurant crying about some damn lizard," I said. My sister blasted, "And I told her I would get it."

Hating to see her cry, the sucker that I am promised that if her mother had not bought it by the following week that I would get it for her. Now why did I do that? Every weekend since, and sometimes weekdays, the kid used her cell phone to call me. She left messages on my cell, on my home answering machine, and on my voice mail at work. Sometimes I would speak to her, and she would ask, "When are you coming over to get me the lizard?" This went on for weeks. My mother nor my sister even knew how much she was calling me. That was my fault. Had she not had the cell, they would've known. I finally told her that if she kept calling me like that, she would not get the lizard. So she stopped for a little while.

Finally she made me commit to this past holiday weekend. She called me everyday. Even when I told her I was on my way, she still called to find out where I was and how far away I was. I live by a rule though, when you promise a child something, you should make good on your word. I think she knows this about me. She must. And even though she knew she was annoying me with all her calls, she decided she wanted something and she was going to get it by any means necessary. I do not mind that I ended up getting her the lizard, with a fully outfitted terrarium mind you, but I think I have a lesson to learn here. If not a lesson to learn myself, there has got to be something I have to teach the kid. I can not have her going through life acting like a spoiled brat just because her auntie is a sucker.

P.S.: The main reason I have been lax about adding a new commenting system is that I would no longer—nor would you—have access to all the wonderful comments folks have posted here in the past. I am working on finding out if they can be extracted from the database in some manner, but word on that has not returned yet. Also looking at Jason and Mo's new site designs has me all amped about mine, but it seems I might not have my new layout until November. That is what I get for asking a designer to do it for me. It seems the creative process takes time. And when you are not really a paying customer, you just have to wait for all the paid gigs to be out the way. *SIGH*

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She is only 12. A little over a month ago, I bought her a cell phone so that she could stay in touch with her mother and grandmother since she travels to and from school alone now. The Bronx ain't like it used to be. Little did I know though, that mobile would come to be the bane of my existence and the fact that I purchased it for her would be used against me. Already, at her young age, she knows how much I am a sucker for her. Yes I love her madly. She is my niece and my god child. But the little whip plays me just like she plays GTA III on PS 2—to perfection. Her mother ate a lot of seafood when she was pregnant with her, and like a crack baby who comes out with drug withdrawls, I'll tell you this kid came out with a seafood fetish like I have never seen. This background is necessary in order to explain how she hoodwinked me recently. And the cellphone was a tool she used in the game. On one of my last visits with her, she, T., and I went to Red Lobster. The kid wanted a 1/2 lobster. Go figure. That is what she wanted. Before going to eat, she wanted to stop at the pet shop. She said she had asked her mother for a lizard, and her mother said she would get it in time. The kid of course wanted it now, and felt her mother would never get it. The kid looked at lizards, and T. looked at all the little fuzzy animals. I had no interest in any of the pets. No I am not a pet hater, but I also do not fawn on animals. As we got to Red Lobster, the kid had done a switch up. In place of her smile was a frown. She picked up her cell and called her mom, repeatedly, until her mother would answer. She gave the phone to me. Trick number one. This kid is good. "She was telling me you promised her a lizard, but you haven't told her when she would get it," I said. "Put her on the phone," my sister responded agitatedly. When my niece hung up the phone, tears streamed down her face. I told you, the kid is good. I called my sister back—on the kid's phone. "Your daughter is over here, in the restaurant crying about some damn lizard," I said. My sister blasted, "And I told her I would get it." Hating to see her cry, the sucker that I am promised that if her mother had not bought it by the following week that I would get it for her. Now why did I do that? Every weekend since, and sometimes weekdays, the kid used her cell phone to call me. She left messages on my cell, on my home answering machine, and on my voice mail at work. Sometimes I would speak to her, and she would ask, "When are you coming over to get me the lizard?" This went on for weeks. My mother nor my sister even knew how much she was calling me. That was my fault. Had she not had the cell, they would've known. I finally told her that if she kept calling me like that, she would not get the lizard. So she stopped for a little while. Finally she made me commit to this past holiday weekend. She called me everyday. Even when I told her I was on my way, she still called to find out where I was and how far away I was. I live by a rule though, when you promise a child something, you should make good on your word. I think she knows this about me. She must. And even though she knew she was annoying me with all her calls, she decided she wanted something and she was going to get it by any means necessary. I do not mind that I ended up getting her the lizard, with a fully outfitted terrarium mind you, but I think I have a lesson to learn here. If not a lesson to learn myself, there has got to be something I have to teach the kid. I can not have her going through life acting like a spoiled brat just because her auntie is a sucker. P.S.: The main reason I have been lax about adding a new commenting system is that I would no longer—nor would you—have access to all the wonderful comments folks have posted here in the past. I am working on finding out if they can be extracted from the database in some manner, but word on that has not returned yet. Also looking at Jason and Mo's new site designs has me all amped about mine, but it seems I might not have my new layout until November. That is what I get for asking a designer to do it for me. It seems the creative process takes time. And when you are not really a paying customer, you just have to wait for all the paid gigs to be out the way. *SIGH*

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Lynne d Johnson

Diary

spoiling the child

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