Is she stupid????

[catnapper]

My daughter HAS to be. I don't know what on earth is going through her mind, but she tried to slip out again last night. Only this time she waited til 1:30 to try her stunt. :mad:

Once again, hubby was snoring away and I was laying in bed trying to get to sleep. I heard footsteps in the hallway(old house, creeky floors) I whispered to snoring hubby that I heard someone up, and he got cranky because I woke him up, but he went and checked, said that nobody was up. Still I know what I heard and laid in bed for another 10-15 minutes trying to listen over hubby's snores (amazing how somone can awaken and go straight back to snoring in zero seconds flat :rolleyes: ) and I heard footsteps again. I figured it wasn't coincidental, so I woke hubby again. He told me to go investigate.

After the other night I was more brazen about checking my daughter's room. Ah, she learned from the last time and made a body form under her blankets with pillows! I ran to tell hubby I was right and that she was gone, so he started to get up as I flicked on lights to run downstairs and start calling the world again to find her. Just then she comes out ofthe kitchen looking all innocent with a bottle of water. "I was just getting something to DRINK" and made a meow noise, saying I was being a catty *itch. I probably caught her just as she was about to break free through the back door.

I went back into the room, asked hubby if he bought the water story, and he said he didn't. Then he told me to stop waking him up... and he fell back asleep!!!! :mad: OMG! Am I living in some alternate universe? Our daughter just tried to slip out of the house at 1:30 in the morning on a school night - for who kows what reason - and he wants to just pretend it didn't happen and go back to bed?!?!?!

I swear I am going to lose my mind over this girl, and with hubby's reaction, well, I don't know what to make of that. He'll probably wait til she gets home from school tonight to grill her about it. Personally, I like to grill right at the mnoment they are busted.

Quick, somebody give me a time machine to speed past the teen years to where she is all grown up and has teens of her own! :D

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

How old is your daughter?
I'm so sorry for both of you. I hope you can talk some sense into her head!! Why the heck is she doing this? Isn't she allowed to go out often during the day?
Success...!

[ramanth]

:eek: I'm sorry she's stressing you out.

I was never that brazen as a teen. I had a respectable fear of my parents and what would happen if I got caught.

[catnapper]

My daughter is 16, will be 17 in March. I have no idea what she is thinking!

I am beyond frustrated and moving into mad at this point! I wasn't mad at her the other night, just disappointed. Today I am mad because we lectured her on the evils that could find her at night.

[Logan]

One of my friends is having a similar problem with her 13 years old daughter, similar in that she is "testing" the limits in a huge way (she has not attempted to sneak out of the house....yet).

Sometimes, I think that some 3rd party intervention may be the best solution. I was thinking that perhaps a family counselor or even a minister could hold a frank discussion with all 3 of you, together, and moderate, and help you and your husband with a way to handle the situation. I know that one thing my friend told me is that the counselor reminded her to NOT react in an argumentative way because it was going to push her daughter further away from her. He said if she had to lock herself in the bathroom for two hours, to do it, rather than starting a screaming match with an already upset daughter, and that they shouldn't try to talk with her until everyone was calm. I think you have to get to the bottom of the "why is she doing this" question before you can start the healing. And you and your husband need to be on the same page, for sure.

I will keep you and your family in my prayers.

[catnapper]

Sigh... I've been saying for years that she needs a counselor. She has many many problems stemming from her mother abandoning her at 3 1/2 years old. Hubby is dead-set against a counselor because he feels they are uselss (I know I know! He's stupid at times too!) I really thinkshe needs to talk to someone and get these feelings out of her.

I swear she's a good kid, so this is making it even harder to remember that. But right now, all our trust of her is out the window.

[lizzielou742]

I'm sorry :( I'd be mad at the hubby's reaction too. Was he fully awake when he was talking to you? My boyfriend will sometimes talk to me when he's half-awake and then doesn't remember it the next day. Sounds like you might want to sit down with him and tell him why you're upset, and explain to him that you both have to be a united front against your daughter's behavior.

As for the kid, sounds like she maybe just doesn't care if she gets caught and punished, or if something happens to her out on the streets. Could she be depressed/lonely/angry? Why is she acting out - for attention/love/to let out her anger? I agree that a counselor might be a good idea. I went with my family a few times in my teenage years. It really did help. Hopefully hubby might agree to family counseling all together. Maybe don't call it "family couseling," call it something else. Sometimes there is a stigma associated with going to see a "counselor"- you know?

My parents had to make a last-ditch effort with my brother when he was being a wild teenager - they literally took away his bedroom door. They said, "If you can't be honest with us, then we can't trust you. You don't deserve a door. You don't deserve privacy. We paid for this house, and everything in it, therefore, we decide who gets a door and who doesn't." So everything he did in there, my parents knew it. He couldn't do hardly anything without everyone in the house knowing about it. It really upset him, but at the same time it let him know my parents were serious and he had to prove he was trustworthy to get his door back (took about a year). I don't know how much that would really help in your situation though. But just thinking outside the box sometimes helps. :)

Also - how is she getting out of the house? Could you install motion detecting floodlights on your driveway or something? ;) Honestly, my parents did that too. The switch was in their bedroom (they have a lock and key on their bedroom door, it's locked whenever they're not in it). I guess she could just avoid the driveway...I'm just thinking of things my parents always did to bust me. My parents are very, um, non-conventional anyway though. ;)

[micki76]

I was one of those kids who escaped during the night. I can tell you that my friends and I were usually up to no good - drinking, drugs, and boys. Those were the ONLY 3 things we ever went out for in the middle of the night. If you can, stop it now at all costs. My mom put a stop to mine pretty quickly, thank God. Most of my friends kept doing it until one friend was abducted and gang raped. :( :( :(

[mina'smomma]

Boy if I ever tried that stuff when I was her age I would of been in big trouble. Plus I would of been picking my teeth from the back of my head because if my brother's ever heard me call my mom a catty *itch they would of belted me.

Lucky for my mom her only problem problem was my older brother. My oldest brother and I never really got the nerve up to disobey our mother until we moved out!!!!! Even now we still respect her opinion and just say we don't agree with her way of thinking.

[caseysmom]

You could install an alarm with a code just for you. I have a teen and on weekends when friends spend the night I have thought I need to get my own code for the alarm.

[sirrahbed]

oh Kim!!!:( I sure do feel frustrated and :mad: with you. That "meow" response probably would have set me off:mad:

Does your area have a curfew? If so, what I would do is call the police and just have her arrested if she gets out again. It probably sounds harsh - but it could spare her from something much, much worse. It scares me to think what could happen to her. My middle son was arrested once and it scared the sanity back into him. I am glad it happened.

[NoahsMommy]

Kim,

How frustrating and worrisome for you. :(

I have two ideas. First, what about taking her out to lunch, coffee, whatever. Just the two of you. From her issues with abandoment, she most likely needs reassurance that no matter what, you love her and wont be leaving. Tell her you have certain expectations of those in your family and explain (again) why its stupid to do what she's doing. Tell her that if its done again, you'll not only be extreemly disappointed in her, afterall, you thought she respected you and your home. If she's sneaking out to do something she isn't allowed to do, discuss it. Maybe there can be some sort of compromise?

If that doesn't work. I too, was thinking of the alarm thing. I know its expensive, so that's kind of a draw back. But at least she'd have a really hard time sneaking out again.

I'm sorry you're having to deal with this. Being a parent must be so hard. Moreso when your hubby just wants to go to sleep after something like that.

Take care :)

[lynnestankard]

One thing bothers me Kim

Why did she make a body form in the bed if she was only going downstairs for a drink?! You have to let her know you didn't fall down in the last shower of rain!!

This is one young lady who's kicking the traces - you may be on the right track with counselling Kim - why is hubby so against it?
Proper counselling can work wonders.

The 'catty *itch' remark - hurt me and I only read it. Maybe Hubby will cope better tonight when he gets home from work.
(I must say that when Don is wakened in the middle of the night he simply doesn't function - when I woke him once 'cos I heard something - he crept downstairs - nekked and clutching one of my Eeyores!! Came back to bed - said 'Ruddy cats' and was back alseep and snoring in 10 seconds - it's obvioujsly a man thing!!! When I told him about it the next day - he said I was dreaming!!)

Lynne

[heinz57_79]

Beat her! hehe Twice... Once for sneaking out, once for getting caught! ;) Seriously tho, I think the only thing to do is tie her to a chair and make her watch infomercials til she has to go to school. :D I can understand how frustrated you must be, especially with the hubby just kind of shrugging it off. Of course, there is the "i told you so" idea... Let her sneak out. Wait til she actually leaves, then wake the hubby up, and have him actually see that she's not home, then... fall asleep in her bed, so when she sneaks BACK in.... surprise! :) Then strap her to her bed and ground her til she's 25. :p I hope you manage to figure out a way to get her to stop.

[Corinna]

You may not like this idea but neighbor had to do it with her grandson( don't ask why she had him LOOONNNGGG story)
He could have freinds over only for a couple hors, and if he needed any thing she went with him . Drove him to school , (mostly embarassed him ) It was hard on her but it got him through a tough spot. Later on when he moved out he got in to trouble but by then he wasn't her responsiblity.
She informed him that when she felt she could trust him shed back off slowly and he could then have a little more freedom and Resposablity.

[catnapper]

Thank you everyone.

First off, I love the alarm idea, but we simply cannot afford it (we barely get food on the table most of the time right now :( ) Hubby is against counseling because when he was going through the divorce, his ex-wife chose the counselor and it was a nightmare - the counselor was not a good one and took sides. Thankfully he was in the Navy at the time, and they finally appointed one for him and the evaluation came out that SHE was the one with the probems... so to this day he does not trust therapists or counselors, he thinks they just take sides according to who they relate to most. And he's afraid that our daughter will snowball him/her. Our daughter is an expert liar. Everyone loves her and thinks she is the sweetest, nicest kid... then they are floored when we tell them she pulls stunts like this. He's afraid she'll treally turn things around and make US look like monsters and that she is the perfect princess... I have to agree with him that its a valid concern because I've seen her in action. I seem to be the only one who can read her and gauge when she's lying. Anyhow, thats the story there.

I spoke to hubby from work today and he's at a loss. He asked his coworkers what they think, and they all agree that her getting water story was a cover-up and that she really intended to slip out. But of course nobody offers suggestions.

I had considered the "remover the door" route. But will that solve ehr real issue? Why is she slipping out? What was she planning? She refuses to talk to us, so we might never know any year soon.

Hubby plans on sleeping on the couch for the next few weeks. It is a pull out couch, so he'll be able to get a decent sleep. He's also a fairly light sleeper and will hear her creeping down the stairs. If I hadn't been laying awake last night and Saturday night, I'd have never heard her creeping down the steps with our door closed and over his snoring... but if he's on the couch, he'll be sleeping with oen eye open.

[sirrahbed]

Originally posted by lynnestankard
One thing bothers me Kim

Why did she make a body form in the bed if she was only going downstairs for a drink?! You have to let her know you didn't fall down in the last shower of rain!!



or as hubby is fond of saying "don't pi$$ in my shoe and tell me it's raining":rolleyes:

[caseysmom]

There are also cheap alarms for just one door, in CA if you build a pool you must have one of these if you don't have a separate pool fence. I doubt they are very expensive. It will just buzz but it should be enough...unless she is smart enough to remove the batteries.

My daughter has lost some brain cells since turning into a teen...no offense to any teens on here but what the heck happens? Its like an alien comes to reside in their body. Of course not all teens go through this but quite a few seem to.

[popcornbird]

If she made a 'body figure' with pillows, I definitely wouldn't believe her when she said she went to get water.

I was going to suggest an alarm too, but since you can't afford it, here's another suggestion.

Go to Home Depot, or any similar store, and buy bolts for every door in the house. Locks that would be installed on every door (inside), and would be locked with a key only. Put one of those 'bolts' on each door and lock them at night. Keep the keys in a secure place. If she can't open the doors....well then, she can't get out. Unless she's crazy enough to break the windows, I think that should work in keeping her inside the house.

I can't believe she was going to do it again. What was she wearing when you caught her.......her pj's, or something else? She must really not care about how you feel if she dared try it again. :( Poor girl. I don't think a normal girl would do this.....there has got to be something in her mind.....something that you need to 'get out'.

[Jods]

My opinion is this is not the first couple times she tried this if it was the first time she would have been scared to try it again, because the first time she had been caught. When everyone goes to bed for the next few nights put a piece of tape at the top of your front and back doors if the tape is ripped in the am someone left during the night... Then ground her for as month and try it again, dont tell her how you know shes getting out though tell her you checked her bed. If she makes a fuss about you going in her room you were looking for a cat.... and its your damn house!!! This should work hope it helped.

[micki76]

Originally posted by popcornbird
Go to Home Depot, or any similar store, and buy bolts for every door in the house. Locks that would be installed on every door (inside), and would be locked with a key only. Put one of those 'bolts' on each door and lock them at night. Keep the keys in a secure place. If she can't open the doors....well then, she can't get out. Unless she's crazy enough to break the windows, I think that should work in keeping her inside the house.


Good idea, but very dangerous in an emergency. My cousin is a firefighter and says these things are killers. :( In a fire people tend to panic. Or what of you and your husband were already dead/passed out from the smoke, but the kids were alive and couldn't escape? :( Believe it or not, people will freak and forget that there are windows to break and escape through.

[zippy-kat]

I don't know/can't remember what her punishment was/is from the first attempt but...
If you've grounded her from everything and taken away her learner's permit/license (or the chance of getting that), what does she have to lose by sneaking out again?

I'm not saying grounding her was wrong (far from it!) but she may think that she's so far in the hole, another slip up isn't going to hurt anything. Skewed thinking? You bet!! (but she's a teenager lol)


My suggestion (keep in mind I don't have kids - so take it for what it's worth):
If "minor" punishment (aka mom and dad's punishment) isn't enough, wait till you know she's sneaking out, have the phone ready, and report her to the police as "out after curfew." Make her pay the fine (if there is one).

You might call an officer and ask about run-away criteria, too; here, they can't do much but pick them up and take them home, but the car-ride home might be enough to keep her from doing it again.

[popcornbird]

Originally posted by micki76
Good idea, but very dangerous in an emergency. My cousin is a firefighter and says these things are killers. :( In a fire people tend to panic. Or what of you and your husband were already dead/passed out from the smoke, but the kids were alive and couldn't escape? :( Believe it or not, people will freak and forget that there are windows to break and escape through.

You're right. I didn't think of that. It could be very dangerous in an emergency.

An alarm would be a great way to control her, but those are so darn expensive. :( I think she needs a good 'talking to'. Something's not right about her behavior.

Dig into the problem. Find out who her peers are....who she hangs out with. You'd be amazed at what a STRONG influence friends can have on young people. If they hang out with the wrong crowd, they can end up growing in the wrong way. You need to put an end to this before she gets into more trouble. Do you know all her friends? Maybe you and the parents of the teens she goes out with should have a joint discussion with her and her friends. If they're together, and you talk to them together, someone might just feel cornered and blurt out everthing you need to know.

[catnapper]

Thanks again guys, we did buy a new door lock last week and we only have the keys, so if she leaves, she can get out, but she won't be able to get back in. Its the klind of lock where you can turn the handle from one side but not the other. Being stuck outside in cold weather just once should be enough to cure her. :D

I found her in her PJs, but when I did the laundry today, the hamper that was in the kitchen had some "nice" clothes tucked into it. (FYI, I have a hamper in the kitchen for muddy sports clothes, dish rags, etc. they used to toss the stuff down the basement steps and after the hundreth time I tripped down the steps over a sock, I added a hamper! LOL) So I have the feeling, she grabbed sweatpants from it, took off the jeans and blouse she was wearing and stuffed it down into the hamper. I usually never find her clothes in there, but always find my son's clothes (he tends to strip as he comes in the door:D ) so if I found some of his good school clothes I wouldn't have thought anything odd about it... but finding her clothes - especially something I washed Monday night in the hamper Wednesday morning? too much of a coincidence.

I asked my other daughter what she thnks of it and she rolled her eyes and sais "I think she did it because she's trying too hard to convince me that she didn;t" Smart kid my youngest daughter.

[NoahsMommy]

Kim, I hate the situation you are in. Reading all this advice makes me worry even more for you. Gosh...being a parent is the hardest job, at least in my opinion.

I like the idea on calling the police as soon as she "escapes". :)

I'm so glad your hubby had some time to think about things. That's an excellent idea for him to gaurd the exits...

I hope she stops this. I'll be praying she comes to her senses soon.

[cookieluver7]

Try talking to her daughter, even if she doesn't want to agree with things you say, you could maybe see why she is sneaking out.

[caseysmom]

I have talked to my daughter till I am blue in the face but I still think she would possibly test the rules...I just want to do whatever I can to keep her safe through these rough years.

Its funny I have 2 girls and they are night and day...same parenting and everything that is why I get mad when people start knocking the parents, neither kid has done anything bad but they are just different kids.

[Corinna]

Do you have a freind on the police force? I know for my brother it was what it took . On a Saterday night he left as she has Mom had , had enough after about 3 times. She called a family freind he picked him up and held him in a cell nearest some really bad drunks and the usual Saturday night crud. left him there until midmorning Sunday, gave him the full treatment (except strip search) . It cured the sneaking out.

[guineapiglover4life]

That sounds like something my big sis would do...:rolleyes:

[kimlovescats]

Oh Kim.... this sounds like a horrible re-run of my daughter Amy Beth. She and a best friend pulled the whole fake body in the bed routine, to sneak out with some older boys!!! :mad: She has always been a habitual liar too, so I still to this day never trust what she says. Even now that she is a mom ... I know she is still not being the responsible person I would like her to be. Afterall, she got pregnant by being immature and irresponsible!!!:( :( We tried everything from tough love, more freedom, counselling, you name it ..... that girl spent most of her high school years grounded!!! (By her father (my ex) I might add) I think he was sooooo extremely rigid that she just rebelled that much more. Of course, I wasn't able to find a method to control her either. :rolleyes: I really think some kids just will find a way regardless, and you just have to pray that they live through it!
Please Pm or IM me anytime, Kim!

HUGS and Prayers!
Kim;)

[Fox-Gal]

Just an idea that a friend did when she was having problems with her son.

She got wind chimes and hung them on his door knob after he went to bed everynight. There was no way he could open the door without them ringing. Oh, she made sure they where the big loud ones, hung 3 on his door. :eek: :D She was dead set on knowing when he opened that door. LOL

Now my brother has these talking door alarms, on his younger childrens door for when they get up in the middle of the night. His one daughter sleep walks, so this way they hear her.

At least this way, maybe, your husband wont have to sleep on the couch till you solve this problem.

good luck to you.

[Karen]

Do you have a cot you could sleep on that you could reposition so it blocks her doorway?

What does she say when you ask why she was sneaking out?
How dumb does she think you and her dad are?
Why does she think you object to her sneaking out?
Any community service programs you could involuntarily enroll her in, so she's too exhausted to sneak out? Maybe some program helping the handicapped, or ministering to AIDS patients, or anything that might both help other people and make her see her own life isn't so awful? "If you log x-hundred hours at community sservice, we'll let you take you license exam ..."

Hmmmm - military school? ;) Just kidding on that one ...

What does she want to do with her life after high school?

Just saw the idea above mine: I have a rope of bells Aunt Bertha used to hang on the cellar door, in case a burgular tried to get in through the basement - wanna borrow it?

[shais_mom]

Originally posted by ramanth
:eek: I'm sorry she's stressing you out.

I was never that brazen as a teen. I had a respectable fear of my parents and what would happen if I got caught.
meeeeee tooooo!!!
My parents had it GREAT!!!

[shais_mom]

Originally posted by Karen


Hmmmm - military school? ;) Just kidding on that one ...



actually one of our ER docs has sent his son to a militiary school and he said it is awesome for his kid....

[shais_mom]

also I am certainly certainly certainly (did I say certainly) not suggesting that she is doing drugs at alllllllllll but another scare tatic is at our hospital parents can bring their kids in for a drug test. I know a coworker who caught her teenage (at the time) son with a joint she brought him out there and I don't believe she ever had a problem with that again. Might be worth calling the local hospital to see if they have the same policy.....

[kt_luvs_kitties]

I do not mean to add onto the problem, but have you also contacted her school for them to keep an eye out to make sure she shows up everyday, and that she stays for all of her classes? My mother is a teacher, and she knew all of my teachers personally (she worked with them all at different times) now she only worked 2-3rd grade, but she always got contacted by them if I missed any days/classes. BUT I was thinking, if you guys do keep a close eye on her, she MIGHT think about other times to sneak out/away, and that could be just as bad. You could also go and personally talk to all of her teachers, and get either a weekly report or ask to see her old progress reports with her missing days on them. And when she does miss a day or a class, have them call you IMMEDIATLY. Hope this idea works for you;) dont worry, it will all work out. *HUGS* Katie

[aly]

I think instead of your husband sleeping on the couch, she should sleep on the floor in your room. Talk about punishment.. hehe.

[mruffruff]

For who, though?

I had the same thing happen with my daughter 24 years ago. She would climb out the window and attend drinking parties. I never found a cure.

I really feel for you.

I like the bells on the door knob. As long as the bedroom isn't on the first floor, it just might work.

Mary

[catnapper]

Thanks so much everyone! Its been a long hard week. I've not been sleeping well becuase EVERY sound I hear makes my ears strain to hear more. Add to little sleep the fact that I've been painting the house all week, my muscles ache, my head aches, and all I want is a solid night of sleep!

My daughter was attitude cental last night. And our son came home from school saying he asked around and there's rumors that she's been slipping out at least one night a week for a while. :( I feel so used and like she's taking us for fools... and what gets me even more than that is now that we found out about her little nocturnal feild trips, that she is denying it so much! How stupid does she think we are? As parents, we have been very trusting and letting them make their own choices. We are not strict at all and they actually have it pretty good. If she has it so good, WHY is she pushing the boundaries and trying to make her good little life go away? She has to know that if she pushes us, that we are goign to push back.

Karen, two summers ago, she got caught shoplifting, and we made her do community service at the nursing home. I think we should give them another call and see if they could use her services when she's not working at her job, in school, or swimming. I want to make her so busy that at night, when she goes to bed, she's going to need a forklift to pry her head from the pillow.

[micki76]

Originally posted by catnapper
As parents, we have been very trusting and letting them make their own choices. We are not strict at all and they actually have it pretty good. If she has it so good, WHY is she pushing the boundaries and trying to make her good little life go away? She has to know that if she pushes us, that we are goign to push back.

Maybe she wants more boundaries? All kids are different. :)

[catnapper]

She has boundaries, but we let them decide things for themselves. We are also VERY open with our kids and they know they can come to us with anything (and trust me, we have had them approach us with some doozies of situations) but my oldest daughter generally doesn't take advantage of that open forum and feels the need to sneak around. We have told her time and time again that she can come to us with ANYTHING and we'd deal with it, but if she lies and hides things, then we will not react well because we want open dialog.

We definately have boundaries and the kids all know where the line is to cross... and she's just crossed it. They know that ocne they cross the line then there will be punsihments issued and work to be done. Our main thing to them is honesty... tell us the truth and we will make thigns right. Lie to us and then youre in deep trouble. She has consistently lied to us for as long as I've known her (since she was 12)and hubby warned me when I met her that she was a liar. (I am the "evil" step mom)

We have expectations for them and the all work within their expectations - all except her. I swear she has that middle child syndrome where she feels inferior compared to her younger sister and older brother. I don't know why she feels this way, but she aparently must.

[lovingisliving76]

What about trying out a baby monitor? You could hide it near the door she leaves out of or even somewhere very close to her bedroom door. Or you could use a webcam that is activated by movement and automatically begins recording. Have it pointed towards wherever it is she leave thru. She can't lie when you have her on video! :D I have a logitech webcam that came with software that activates your cam thru motion detection. I've used it to see what my dogs did all day while I was at work. You can even have it set up to where you can check in on it from a computer at work etc. Just a couple idea's I thought I'd share. Good Luck;)

[Kfamr]

She sounds like one of those kids in my school that i'd just love to smack upside the face.
I hate hearing the kids in my school talk about how they snuck out and got caught, but tried again the next night.

I'm not sure why she's doing it, or why she feels the need to lie about it. I do know that she sounds just like my sister when she was that age. My parents just ran through the teen years with my sister, until she eventually grew up. Well, I wouldn't say she grew up, she's still pretty immature, but she's a lot better than she was, and she's pretty successful at the age of 23. :)

[NoahsMommy]

Kim,

You and your situation are on my mind. I really hope she'll see that she has it good and the only thing that sneaking out will do will diminish trust and get her into all forms of trouble.

I love the ideas so far. It sounds like she needs to be retaught the rules of the house. I love Staci's idea. You can come from the perspective of "kids who sneak out do drugs, have sex and drink, therefore, we're getting you drug tested, do we need to test for other things too??" Once she realizes that only a "child" behaves this way, and thus will be treated like one, maybe she'll want to act mature and be honest.

The bells/chimes on her door are another great idea!

How did hubby do on the couch last night?

[catnapper]

Hubby decided to sleep in bed last night. He is giving her one last try before he does that (I know, BIG pushover, and big sap for giving her the benefit of the doubt)

I didn't hear anything, but am utterly exhausted from sleeping with my ears listening for any small sound.