There’s a lot more Mama Drama rolled into this story, but I’ll give you the short version: 

16yo daughter screwed up, I gave her a 2nd chance – with very clear stipulations attached. 

16yo daughter plowed through stipulations and blew it again, I grounded her for 2 weeks.

Too bad, so sad.  The end.  Or was it?

Now, if this had been maybe even 6 months ago, I would know to expect the cold shoulder and silent treatment from my daughter for several days.  And that’s exactly what I got the morning after the grounding, so I wasn’t surprised.  I was, however, surprised by her change in attitude by the afternoon, and especially by the proposition she had for me.

She very maturely, very rationally proposed some compromises on her grounding, seeing that the two weeks included the Much Looked-Forward-To Spring Break.  Rather than not being allowed to go out at all (which were the only terms I had for her grounding), she offered to trade Facebook and cell phone (two items I had not planned to take away from her), sign herself up for any chores or projects I needed her to complete, in exchange for just THREE specific dates in the next two weeks.

Before you cry “Sucker!” at my willingness to accept her terms, let me explain.  It was clear that she had processed the events leading up to her grounding, and she was willing to talk about them at length during our conversation (rather than shut down, like she often does).  She also revealed a very unexpected epiphany she had.  She basically told us: 

“Last night I kept thinking to myself, ‘How can I get back at them?  How can I make them miserable for grounding me?’  But then I realized that whenever I try to do that, it just ends up making ME more miserable.  I figured I could either stay a complete grouch, or I could fix my attitude, come and talk to you maturely, and try to figure out a solution that makes us all happy.”

Um….hello?!  Who are you?!  What have you done with my daughter?!

Was it any coincidence that I had been praying and fasting all day that my daughter’s heart might be touched with a more peaceful Spirit?  The way she explained her change of heart was as if a voice literally interrupted her plans to dig deeper into anger, frustration, and rebellion, and told her that she had a choice to make about how she could feel and react to her circumstances.

I know plenty of parents who say they would never negotiate with their teenager, and I understand that.  I was just too impressed with her change in attitude and commitment to make things better than to turn her away.  Besides, I’m still getting what I want – a chance for her to slow things waaaaay down and think more about her actions – and I’m not opening the flood gates to total freedom (three dates in the next two weeks isn’t outrageous).

I really do feel my daughter’s heart was touched, and I’m grateful for that answer to my prayers.  I hope that she’ll continue to receive those kinds of promptings in relation to life lessons, and to understand that attitude is everything and that a little honey goes a long way.

Tweet This Post

The Product:

• Lysol’s Healthy Touch No-Touch Hand Soap System. 
• Works with 4 AA batteries and automatically senses when your hand is held under the pump, then dispenses just enough soap to apply to your hands. 
• Kills 99.9% of bacteria. 
• Recommended for use in kitchen or bathroom. 
• Soap comes in 3 moisturizing scents:  Soothing Cucumber Splash, Refreshing Grapefruit Essence, and Cleansing Green Tea & Ginger. 
• Starter kit (includes dispenser, one 8.5 oz hand soap refill, and 4 AA batteries) currently retails at Walmart for $9.97, and individual 8.5 oz refills sell for $3.47.  This product will also be carried nationwide at other grocery, drug, and mass stores.

Lysol is a brand my parents trusted for killing germs in our house, and it’s a brand I use in my own home with my own family today.  I have seen this unit in the stores and have wondered how useful it would be for us with FOURTEEN HANDS in our house (and any of them icky at any given moment!) to keep clean.  When Lysol offered to send a unit for me to review (and giveaway – see below), I was happy to say yes.

The Good:

• Easy to set up.
• Simple, attractive design; fits in with any kitchen or bathroom decor.
• Security in knowing that 99.9% of germs are being killed.
• Not having to touch anything with those germs before they’re washed away.
• We received the Soothing Cucumber Splash soap, and it smelled SO GOOD and left our hands very soft.
• The amount of soap dispensed is just the right amount for getting a good clean.
• This dispenser has a SERIOUS “cool factor” – the kids were excited to use it (and keep using it).

The Pause:

• More batteries.  I haven’t seen any information on approximately how long the batteries are meant to last, but this might just be one more thing to create waste in used batteries.
• You will need to stress to your children that ONE PUMP is enough, so they don’t use up the small-ish 8.5 oz bottle right away.
• Be careful how you lift and move this unit – I’ve already slipped a few times and found my hand in the sensor zone, only to have it dispense soap unnecessarily.
• Some people might find the cost prohibitive and opt for the store-brand $1 containers of hand soap.

The Bottom Line:

• We really like having it in our kitchen, and it’s a huge help for washing my hands when they are covered with various meal ingredients (especially if I’ve been handling raw meat!).  Though little kids might go crazy with waving their hand under the sensor, school-aged kids and older will be happy with their one pump, and it may just get them more enthusiastic about washing.  We like it a lot, and I would recommend it.

The Giveaway:

Lysol has provided one No-Touch Handsoap System Starter Kit (dispenser, soap, and batteries) for giveaway.  To enter, please answer in a comment to this post:  aside from keeping hands washed, what is another way you try to prevent sickness during the cold and flu season?

For extra entires, do any of the following and leave an extra comment for each entry method used:

• Tweet about this giveaway (leave your Twitter ID in the comment)
• Follow this blog via Google Connect
• Subscribe to this blog via email or reader

All entries due by 11:59PM CST Saturday, March 13.  US entries only, please.  Good luck to everyone!

*Disclosure:  Lysol provided me with this product for review and an additional product for giveaway.  I was not compensated in any other way for this post.

Tweet This Post

I know at the beginning of the year I said I wanted 2010 to be more about people and less about products on my blog.  And while that remains largely true, I really do like working with companies, and I get a certain thrill out of offering products for giveaway. {<–Little known bloggy secret right there – lots of us do what we do so we can pass along fun stuff to others!}

In an effort to keep the main focus of my blog personal, while still providing brief, thorough reviews and giveaways, I’ve decided to change up the format of my review posts.  The idea is to be clear and straight to the point, with a plan to break things down into four, possibly five, parts:

The Product.  This will include all the pertinent facts about the product, as well as a short “why” regarding my choice to review it.

The Good.  This will include all the “pro”s of the product, not only subjectively based on my family’s experience, but why I think it might benefit others as well.

The Pause.  This will include reasons I might not go shouting from the rooftops about the product.

The Bottom Line.  I once gave a glowing review of a company that, unbeknownst to me, a good friend then went and actually ordered from.  She was happy to tell me the company had great customer service and a wonderful product. {insert sigh of relief}  It was a good lesson to me:  I will review a company/product as if a good friend will really use them based on my recommendation.  And that’s my Bottom Line.

The Giveaway.  If a company has provided me with a product or prize pack to giveaway, I will list all details here.

My hope is that with a quicker, clearer format for reviews and giveaways, they won’t feel like much of an interruption from the more personal dialogue I keep.  Also, I want people to find the information they need easily – I know time is an important commodity.  These changes will begin immediately, and I hope you like them!

Tweet This Post