RM September 14 - Collateral Damage

Just catching up on a couple of Red Mum columns and promise to resume normal posting asap. I should also mention though I think I have already that I have completely messed up on the posting dates and cannot work out how. So the dates on the posts are actually the dates submitted and not the date they were printed, ah who cares anyway. Here you go...

Collateral damage

I made the mistake this morning of going into the Young Wan’s bedroom, I say mistake because I have only been looking into it from a safe distance outside the door. And I was floored, it is an absolute vile cess-pit of mess.

Bear in mind she was supposed to have it spotless so her pal could stay over. I thought I had a good bargaining tool because the proposed sleep-over was happening on a school-night which is a no-no normally.

How and ever she appeared to get stuck in and at times was surrounded by piles of stuff. Little did I know it was all nothing more than a cosmetic exercise with lots of shoving things into every crevice possible just so she wouldn’t have to put it away properly.

Have teenagers no shame?

A pal said to me when I was telling about the sleep-over that teenagers wouldn’t notice mess anyway. I don’t know about that, I hope it is true.

Currently you cannot see the floor, there is make-up everywhere, clothes everything and things that I do not know what they are everywhere. This is a room that was supposed to be finished yesterday afternoon and it looks worse than it did before.

Her pal was celebrating her fantastic results in the Junior Cert (well done) by staying with us rather than traipsing around town with the half-dressed 14 and 15 year olds. And they had a lovely night watching DVDs and eating sweets, quite the opposite scenario to what was played out all over Dublin where drunken and vomiting teens seems to have been the norm. I can only hope this time next year when herself is in the same position, ie getting Junior Cert results, that we can agree on similar celebrations.

The deal was the Young Wan’s pal could stay over only if her room was done once and for all. This latest battle of the bedroom began about two and half weeks ago. I am starting to see it as the 17-day war. And I am losing.

The pal stayed over and I only saw the extent of the collateral damage this morning as I forced to delve into the room to find the house keys, my set. The set which the Young Wan told me she had left for me before heading off to school.

When I left for work I realised the keys were no where to be seen, hence the involuntary decision to go into her room.

Of course I didn’t find them. How could you find anything in there, it is impossible.

I did discover what I presume to be a rubbish bag because it had rubbish in it; it also contained a PE shirt for school, a halter-neck belonging to me and other bits and bobs.

Throwing good stuff away or indeed throwing my stuff away is not an isolated incident. Unfortunately this has happened before so I am more than annoyed this has happened again particularly seeing as how I specifically said ‘do not do your magic tidying where you throw good stuff out please’.

I don’t think I have any bargaining tools left, other then confiscating her ipod until the work is actually carried out. I have already barred her from her mobile for two weeks and we are only one week into that ban.

Hhmm that is an idea! Maybe if I promise to give back the mobile early on condition of the room being cleaned thoroughly and then inspected by me, do you think that will work?

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