Uh, duh... because I had to pay for MINE. Money isnt free honey!

Its been a while since I said it, but the last time Ang gave me hell about "the FTB being for her" I did reply with "They pay me to feed, house and clothe you, not spoil you".

Ang got her own pre-paid mobile with her bithday money. Another thing she hits us up for money for! But so far she has broken the cover - so we had to replace it - and then left it on the side of the road. Thankfully this was in Stanthorpe and people return things they find in stanthorpe, in tact.

I think it depresses me some that I am at the start of all this. But that justs means people further along have been tolerating it for years, LOL. I am not yet sure how we are going to get through this, but it seems to me you just cope.

At the moment now she is in hs, we have two agreements. We will pay for her so long as she stays in school. She drops out, she has to go get a job.
The other is she is allowed to have a "boyfriend" when she has a HSC. She understands the reasoning behind this is so she will concentrate on her school work, not drop out and have to get a job, thus meaning she wouldnt see him anyway. Its just easier to do it right the first time.

Pretty sure that will come under fire when she is about 16... Hence why we made the deal now.. with luck it will help make it easier to swallow at 16 when some guy at school asks her out and she is already 4 years into a 6 year deal - so breaking it now would be insane!

if she sticks to it though, she gets a self contained trailer unit (no council approval needed as it is technically a caravan) out the back which she wont have to pay rent on. At 18 it makes a great launching pad, and good for a landing pad when things go pear shaped. For all of them really.

Fingers crossed!

How are you coping with the idea of 16. I dont know why, but that number seems to fighten me most of all.