Yard Sales, Pre-teen Sells Out

We finally had the yard sale. My daughter Erin loved it. She is a very entrepreneurial type. From the financial perspective, it really wasn't worth it one bit. We made about forty dollars. Then again, the purpose wasn't the money. It was to get the girls to get rid of some stuff, and this motivated them.
There were also some good lessons about business that I think Erin learned. So, it was a success on some level.

As for Rachel, I've been having some problems. She won't be twelve for another five months, and I feel like I'm already dealing with a teenager. First of all, she looks at least fourteen. The other problem is that her best friend IS fourteen. Every since we have been going out skating, Rachel and her friend Chelsea have developed a crush on a skater dude who happens to be "bisexual". This guy wears mascara and hangs out in the girls' bathroom. He sports a bilevel hairdo down to his shoulders. He is fourteen, and claims to currently have a boyfriend. Yeesh.

Last night I decided to let Rachel go to the movies with Chelsea and another friend. Chelsea's dad drove them to the theater and I was going to be picking them up. When it came time for me to give Rachel some cash, she told me she wasn't going to see a movie. I asked if I heard right. She said they were just going to eat something there. That sounded weird, but I know at this particular theater they have a huge eating area. So, I went along with it.
When I picked the girls up they told me that they saw a movie. I was irate. I don't let Rachel just see any movie, and I hadn't approved of one. They told me they saw the World Trade Center movie. I was pretty upset, and I told them so. I told Rachel I would no longer be able to trust her to go on a similar outing. She apologized up and down.

The saga continues. Today, she told me that they really didn't see a movie. She told her sister more of the things that they did, and one of them included going to the Taco Bell and McDonald's that are in the same strip mall as the theater. Yipes, I say, because that isn't a great place for young girls to be walking around on a Friday night. I always wondered who those parents were that let their young kids wander around like that, and here I am, now one of them!
Now, I'm really mad, and Rachel knows it. The thing is, I do feel bad for her because her friend is the one trying to encourage her to be sneaky, and she is the young one, trying to be cool, and she's pretty much stuck in the middle. Unfortunately, she made some wrong choices. The problem now is that Chelsea's sister told her that Rachel fessed up, and now Chelsea is mad and Rachel is crying.

I guess it isn't so bad. I have learned from it, and unfortunately one thing I learned is that Rachel is not ready to do things alone with Chelsea. I sort of had that feeling all along, but I guess I decided to give it a try. Man, they really do grow up too soon. I never expected to be dealing with stuff like this already.