ptejhe
- 15
I need some non-biased feedback on whether I did the right thing or not.
My neighbor/friend has a 8 year old daughter who comes over my house frequently. Last week she was at our house and she wrote her first & last name on my 8 year old son's wooden desk in his room. This desk is not easy to clean because it's natural wood with no varnish, etc.
Anyway, I just learned about this yesterday. I called my friend to ask if she could have her daughter come and clean it up. My friend was not home, but her 8 year old daughter answered the phone. I told the daughter that I had a couple of things that belonged to her at my house and I also asked her to come over when she got a chance to clean her name off of my son's desk. I was very sweet to her.
A few hours later my friend and her daughter came over to clean the desk. My friend was actually the one that cleaned it, not her daughter.
Afterwards the little girl apologized to me and I told her it was okay. I thanked her for coming over and cleaning it up. I wanted to explain to her that the desk is a little hard to keep clean, but her mom interrupted me and told me to stop talking to her daughter (in my own home.)
She continued by telling me how furious she was at me for "disciplining her daughter" (these were her exact words) without her home. I explained to her that I didn't discipline her daughter... I simply asked her to come over when she got a chance to clean up her name on the desk.
This went on for about 5 minutes and I explained to my friend that the reason I didn't speak to her directly is because she is very defensive when it comes to me talking to her about her daughter (her only child).
She was yelling at me and making the situation seem to be my fault. I don't believe I did anything wrong by asking a 8 year old to come and clean up what she did. I would expect the same out of my friend if any of my kids wrote on something in her home.
Also, if I knew the little girl wrote her name and she was still at my house I would have asked her to clean it right then. Not call her mom first.
Thoughts?
My neighbor/friend has a 8 year old daughter who comes over my house frequently. Last week she was at our house and she wrote her first & last name on my 8 year old son's wooden desk in his room. This desk is not easy to clean because it's natural wood with no varnish, etc.
Anyway, I just learned about this yesterday. I called my friend to ask if she could have her daughter come and clean it up. My friend was not home, but her 8 year old daughter answered the phone. I told the daughter that I had a couple of things that belonged to her at my house and I also asked her to come over when she got a chance to clean her name off of my son's desk. I was very sweet to her.
A few hours later my friend and her daughter came over to clean the desk. My friend was actually the one that cleaned it, not her daughter.
Afterwards the little girl apologized to me and I told her it was okay. I thanked her for coming over and cleaning it up. I wanted to explain to her that the desk is a little hard to keep clean, but her mom interrupted me and told me to stop talking to her daughter (in my own home.)
She continued by telling me how furious she was at me for "disciplining her daughter" (these were her exact words) without her home. I explained to her that I didn't discipline her daughter... I simply asked her to come over when she got a chance to clean up her name on the desk.
This went on for about 5 minutes and I explained to my friend that the reason I didn't speak to her directly is because she is very defensive when it comes to me talking to her about her daughter (her only child).
She was yelling at me and making the situation seem to be my fault. I don't believe I did anything wrong by asking a 8 year old to come and clean up what she did. I would expect the same out of my friend if any of my kids wrote on something in her home.
Also, if I knew the little girl wrote her name and she was still at my house I would have asked her to clean it right then. Not call her mom first.
Thoughts?