Disclaimer: I don't own The Brady Bunch
"As much as we hate to say this," Carol said, "I'm afraid you can't have your sleep over"
"I told you I didn't do it," Marcia said, "I can't believe you won't believe me. You know what. I hate you now. I don't want a sleep over or anything else from you guys ever."
Marcia ran out of the room. She was extremely upset.
"You wanna go talk to her or should I," Mike asked Carol.
"I think we both should," Carol said, "But lets give her a minute to calm down."
Ten minutes later they knocked on the door to the girls room. Marcia was still in tears.
"Sweetheart," Carol said gently, "Your principal wouldn't say you did this if you didn't. He doesn't have anything against you."
"I'M TELLING YOU I DIDN'T," Marcia yelled angrily.
Mike started to say something but then Marcia interrupted again.
"And even if I had which I didn't," she continued, "This is your answer to everything."
"That's a little vague," Mike said, "What is 'this'?"
"Punishment," Marcia said, "It's your answer to everything. Has it ever occurred to you that it's hardest for me to adjust and I'm the one that's expected to the most?"
"I thought you said you didn't do it," Carol said.
"I didn't," Marcia replied, "But I am angry!"
"You've made it clear that you're angry. Why are you so angry though?"
"I tell you something and you don't believe me. I have never lied before. Greg gets the single room because he's the oldest. I'm the one who has the most responsibility and I'm supposed to put on a happy face and pretend like this isn't overwhelming for me. What do you think I am; supergrl?"
"Nobody expects you to be supergirl," Mike said, "and some of what you said is valid. But you have to understand something. You might not be the oldest anymore but you are the one who is the most responsible. So I guess we tend to rely on you to be the leader and the one to set the example. But as far as your comment about using punishment it's a standard across the board solution."
"Well it's a damn unfair one," Marcia said, "Especially getting mad because you know why," she added.
"We do understand what you're saying," Carol said, "But you have to understand we're a family of eight and about to be a family of nine."
"What the- you're pregnant?"
"No honey. Your aunt and uncle left cousin Oliver to us in their will."
Oliver was only 2 weeks old.
"Can we get back to the point here," Mike said, "If you have a better solution we're more then willing to hear it out-"
"I DON'T HAVE THE ANSWERS," Marcia yelled, "YOU SHOULD FIGURE IT OUT!"
"Well we'll talk it over and see what we can come up with but the fact is that you're still a child so how can you expect us to think the adult is lying."
"Because I'm your daughter and I never lied," Marcia said.
...
Later that night Carol and Mike were talking.
"Can you believe how upset she got," he asked.
"Well honey she does have a point," Carol said, "We do tend to put a lot of expectation on her. It's an adjustment for everyone sure but we do think she should be the one to give more then the others."
"But she got in trouble at school," Mike said, "Letting her have her sleep over would be reinforcing bad behavior."
"Mike she always admits when she's done something," Carol said, "She always owns up to it"
"Well it's like you said," Mike replied, "She's going through a lot. Maybe it's her way of rebelling."
"IF that's the case is punishing her going to really help the situation," Carol asked.
"Unfortunately I don't know what else to do," Greg said, "With a house of nine we need to preserve discipline."
"Maybe we should go the other route," Carol said.
"The other route?"
"You know," Carol said, "Rewarding the kind of behavior we want to see?"
"Well that may work for Cindy or Bobby and even Jan and Peter but Marcia and Greg are too grown up for that."
"You see? THAT'S the problem. We give her the responsibilities she should be rewarded for that."
"Do you want to talk to her or should I," Mike asked.
"I think we both should," Cindy said.
That's how things are in the Brady Bunch.