Alaina-14
Ryan-13
Ava-10
Scarlett-10
Isabella-10
Connor-10
Madeline-5
Dylan-3
A few days later on a Monday morning
"Ryan, did you see your sister upstairs?"
"Yeah she was doing her hair when I got up."
"Okay, go eat, pack your lunch." Jamie says glancing up the stairs trying to see if Alaina is almost ready, the high school bus will be here in 20 minutes and at this rate she's gonna be cutting it close.
"Daddy are you working tonight?" Scarlett asks directing Jamie to the kitchen, her and Ava were eating cereal.
"What do you think?" Ryan says as he throws snacks in his lunch box.
"I am, I actually won't see you guys until tomorrow when you get home." He tells them.
"You're not gonna be here all night?" Ryan questions.
"No, I'm actually not going in until later today, working all night, and I'll be home in the morning to sleep all day." He explained.
"Aww but mommy doesn't know how to do math." Ava whines with a frown, Jamie chuckles.
"Honey mommy knows how to do math." He said.
"No she doesn't dad." Ryan said zipping up his lunchbox.
"Cmon…" Jamie said not believing them.
"Ava we have the same math homework, I'll give you my answers." Scarlett tells her and hops off the chair to put her bowl in the sink.
"Really!?" She asks surprised.
"No no no, that will not be taking place, you can help her, don't just give her the answers." Jamie interjects.
"Dumbos you shouldn't of said anything." Ryan said walking off to get his backpack.
"Hey!" Scarlett yelled at him.
"Ryan don't call your sisters dumb." Jamie told him and went to pour himself a cup of coffee.
"Is it picture day at your school Alaina?" Ava wondered when she came down the stairs to pack her lunch. Jamie turned around to greet her but was caught of guard and shocked at what she was wearing to speak.
"No, this is what you wear in 9th grade. No one wears knee length shorts anymore." She explained and before Jamie could interject Scarlett started.
"But it's the rule! They have to be fingertip length!" She exclaims.
"And that's a great rule, I'm pretty sure it's in the high school handbook too…Alaina you are not wearing that." He tells her, she had a short jean skirt on with a tucked in tank top that was pretty low cut, and leather jacket overtop.
"Yes I am." She told Jamie looking him dead in his eyes.
"No. It's not appropriate, you're going upstairs and changing." He told her firmly. Ryan came back in the kitchen and saw what she was wearing.
"Why you dressed like Mrs. Donohue?" He asks.
"Ryan…-"
"I am not! This is what everyone wears are you blind!?" She says pushing him with anger.
"Hey! Knock it off! Ryan go wait for the bus, Alaina upstairs, you got 5 minutes to find a new outfit." He says looking at his watch.
"The bus doesn't come for 10 minutes, and it's raining." Ryan says.
"Dad you're being so unfair! This is what everyone is wearing!"
"I don't care Ryan, go." Jamie tried to stay calm, he listened and left the house, the twins sat and watched the exchange between Alaina and Jamie now.
"I'm not telling you again. Go. Get. Changed." He repeated.
"Huh!! You're too strict! You should be thankful I'm not wearing fish net stockings and a crop top!" She stomps off up the steps. Jamie rubs his neck stressed out by these teenage years.
"What are fish stockings?" Ava wondered.
"Nothing honey. Just clean up your stuff and get outside please." Jamie told the twins and sipped his coffee.
A few minutes later the twins and Ryan were outside waiting for the bus and Alaina came back down stairs with a look of pure hatred towards Jamie.
"Happy?" She asks with her arms crossed. She's wearing black sweat pants, sneakers, and a hoodie zipped up to her neck with her hood up.
"That's more like it, get your bag, bus will be here any second." He tells her. She rolls her eyes and leaves the house.
"God give me strength to take on the twins in a couple years." He says out loud to himself.
——
The following day Jamie woke up to the sound of Eddie getting home. It was almost 3pm he was sleeping still. He got up and headed downstairs to see her.
"Hey, longtime no see." He says with a quick kiss.
"I know, I am not a fan of this new schedule, any idea when it can be back to normal?" She asks.
"Next week, as of now." He says and they kiss again."
"What time is it? How much time we got till the kids get home?" Eddie wonders glancing at her phone.
"Not long enough…" Jamie flirts.
"We got 20 minutes…!" Eddie says and takes Jamie's hand before she starts up the stairs.
They finished just in time, both kids buses were just outside when Jamie got back downstairs, Eddie was getting a quick shower.
"Hey, how was school?" Jamie asked Ryan who was first in the door.
"Good, you should ask Alaina." He said and then Alaina came through the door. Jamie was pissed when she saw what she was wearing, the same outfit he made her change out of yesterday morning.
"Alaina Grace!" He scolded and her face turned to terror. She knew she was in trouble.
"Dad you weren't supposed to be up…!"
"Yeah would've been the perfect plan wouldn't it of?" He said with his hands on his hips.
"Mom didn't say anything about it this morning!" She explained hesitantly.
"But you knew I had a problem with it, and you still went behind my back?!" He questioned.
"If mom would've told me to change I would've listened."
"Why's mom get the final call on it for you? Why does her opinion matter more then mine?!"
"Because dad! She's a girl!"
"And I'm a guy, what's that matter?!" He asked.
"Alaina you have no argument you're so screwed." Ryan interrupts laughing.
"Ryan enough, go do your homework in your room today, girls you too, upstairs." Jamie says and points them off. They listen and resume when they hear their doors shut.
"Why does moms opinion trump mine?" Jamie asked her crossing his arms.
"Because she knows what it's like. Dad everyone talked to me today, and Cade even sat with me at lunch!"
"You just proved my point, don't you want people to like you for who you are, not for how you dress?"
"Of course I do, but now that they see how I can look maybe they'll still like me no matter what I wear." She explained and Jamie sighed heavily this was stressing him out.
"What's all the arguing?" Eddie interrupted coming downstairs.
"Dad doesn't like my outfit!" She told her.
"Why? It's cute?" She says looking at him confused at why he would tell his daughter such a thing.
"Eddie, she tried wearing this to school yesterday, and I made her change because I didn't think it was appropriate." He explains.
"Seriously!?" Eddie said to her, she was shocked and then Alaina started crying.
"Go to your room." Eddie demanded and without another word she went upstairs.
"My question is, why does she even have clothes like that?" Jamie wondered.
"I didn't buy her the outfit, she put it together with stuff she had." Eddie told him.
"I wouldn't of bought her that skirt, Eddie she's lucky she didn't get sent to the office and forced to change!"
"It's not that bad, I've seen worse." She defended.
"Eddie seriously!? she looks like a-"
"Do not finish that sentence! I have an idea, you can take her shopping, you'll see how hard it is to find things that aren't too short or too low cut!" Eddie told him.
"No I'm not taking her, thats your department. This is nothing against you." He corrected not wanting her to think he was fighting with her.
"Well clearly I don't do a very good job at it so I'm firing myself." Eddie says and walks off.
"Eddie."
"You know what Jamie? Why are we putting a leash on our daughter, why is it her fault? Shouldn't the boys and men be the ones taught to respect girls and not sexualize them?"
"I agree with you, I know exactly what you mean but that's putting a lot of trust in strangers and you and I both know how ugly that can get. How many assaults have we dealt with, how many rapes? We can't put the trust in these boys." He said, and Eddie knew he was right.
"So what the hell do we do." She said with a sigh.
"Lock her in her room until she's old enough to carry." Jamie said obviously joking, Eddie smiled but shook her head.
"I'm being serious. I don't want her to not be able to feel confident and pretty. But I don't want boys looking at her and only thinking about one thing."
"How bout we just focus on the one problem we have right now. And we can figure that one out later." Jamie said running a hand over her back.
"Right…she didn't listen to you. And she took advantage of me." Eddie exhaled deeply and headed up the stairs to go talk to her. Jamie stayed out of this one, Eddie had it and would get it figured out.
——
Ahhh the rebelling teenage years have arrived. I feel like this is such an issue with kids. And as I get older I can't help but understand where both Jamie and Eddie are coming from! Leave your thoughts!