You will never guess what my 11 y/o dau did

Sitting here reading this with my 13 y/o DD, discussing all your replies, we've come to the conclusion that some of you are just plain off.
Yes, what she did was make the wrong decision, but she is a NORMAL 11 year old!!!
Talk to her, hug her and let it go.
DD says if her presents were kept on a mantle til her next birthday, she wouldn't even want them. They would just be reminders of "the worst Christmas, EVER!" (she exact words)
It's normal for kids to be curious, and hard to resist the temptation of presents. Some kids can resist, some can't. Don't punish her for giving into a temptation you placed right in front of her.
It's easier to change your mind, than to change a memory. JMO

i also did this when i was about her age. i opened one of my presents on the sly.
i felt sooo guilty and furtive and it RUINED the surprise, so i never did it again. i don't know if my mon found out, it didn't matter. i learned my lesson all by myself.
if she has the basics down about right from wrong, that is enough to guide her future behavior.
jmo

oops, sorry- "mom"
my mom and dad also didn't put all the gifts out until christmas morning. she went downstairs first to "turn on the lights" but she was really putting the gifts under the tree.
so, i guess she knew us little devils pretty well. LOL

sigh..............I keep checking back hoping to see that Nia has changed her mind. This is just breaking my heart. :o(

Diva: I don't think that you read her last response right if you think that she lightened up. She has had her open her gifts and has taken them away (except for the clothes), cancelled her slumber party AND cancelled a trip to a Christmas village. The only thing that she decided to do is go see a movie. Wow, what a great Christmas!! This child will have nothing to open on Christmas morning, no joy, no excitement. All she knows is that her mom holds a major grudge and pouts about her acting like a normal 11 year old girl. I do have an 11 year old girl, an 8 year old boy and a 4 year old girl and I cannot for the life of me imagine doing to my children what this Mom is doing!

like so many others, i have come back on here just to check this post, because it breaks my heart to think of this little girl being punished for being a kid excited about christmas, i'm sure by now that you Nia, is wishing you had never post your private and personal business on here, but you did. my ds was trying to guess at his gifts yesterday, dd will drive me crazy when she comes over, even tho i will joke with them about not doing it, i really don't care. after all its christmas and it happens only once a year. i'm just glad i can still make christmas magical for my kids at the age of 36, 33 and 22 , this is from a post that my dd reply to the other day, will your dd still think this about you 25 years from now.
Posted by: littlebit636ky Posted on: 12/11/2004 11:44:12 PM
#R4858560
my mother still makes christmas very magical and amazing.. thank god.. i still have her and she is an amazing woman..from the baking..to time and thought put into each gift..to the decorations..just such a warm loving place and person...i am truly blessed..angie
i hope you have a change of heart , because i truly believe you just reacted out of hurt and anger, that along will be enough for her not to do it again. and yes i knew my kids peeped, but its still not the same as having the gift in the hands, my ds let me opened a gift from him early last night because i was so excited and was trying to figure it out, thank God he didn't decide not to give it to me simply because i was shaking and trying to peep, the paper i pull open just showed a brown box LOL! no help. hope everyone have a merry christmas!

This makes me so sad. Children have a natual curiosity about the world around them. And the magic of Christmas peakes their curiosity even mroe so.

If nothing else, please reconsider your punishment based on THE REASON FOR THE SEASON...Love, forgivness, etc. Not to offend non-believers, but Christ was our greatest gift...to open the gates of heaven and give us all the gift of forgiviness...and it starts at home.

I hope and pray you can move forward Nia and celebrate the joy of Christmas rather than create a memory of sadness, anger and lack of forgiveness and love.

I just had to come and look at this post.
And then add my sick sense of humor to it.

If she were my kid, I would unwrap two of the gifts, and replace them with the following

1. a box of dog poo
2. coal

Merry Christmas

I like that bonita! But it's too late. She's already had her unwrap all her presents, in spite. Spite is the worst thing there is.
Well, maybe not, on second thought. The worst thing there is is the pity I feel for Nia. Pity that she would destroy her relationship with her daughter over peeking at presents.
Mel

Now I wonder what she will tell her therapist years from now,
Poor child, I think I would rather have the spanking,

Nia1110! Have a blessed Christmas,

I never said I agreed with everything Nia did.

I said I think people here are judging her and her relationship with her daughter too harshly. None of us really knows what it's like there in their house and I just think people calling her "evil" and saying she's going to be responsible for future troubles for her daughter is out of line.

You don't have to have children to see this.

I am sorry, but I disagree she is pure evil. What part of her post gives you the impression that she loves her daughter? When my kids wake up Christmas morning they will be so happy. I can only imagine how that 11 year old child will feel.

I feel this punishment is way to harsh. I have very bad memories of Christmas when I was young cause my Dad was always drunk, but to ruin Christmas for peeking is going to far. Please remember she is already sorry & will never forget this episode for the rest of her life. Please don't cancel the sleep over, I'd hate to see her lose friends over this.

The punishment does not fit the crime, I had 7 children and would never traumatize my child at christmas when her actions only hurt herself no one else,
I may be almost 60 years old But I remember my own disapointment and guilt when I peeked one year I was about the same age,
This child did not do it to be mean to anyone, or hurt her Mother. she just let her curiosity get the better of her,
I feel So sorry for that child. just want to wrap my arms around her.

My half brothers used to always peek at thier gifts. One year, my step mom told them that if they they would not get thier gifts. Sure enough, they peeked. She hid all thier gifts, and typed up and printed a letter from "Santa" saying that because they peeked, they weren,t getting anything. She let them be disappointed for a few hours, and then gave them the gifts. They never peeked after that.