Is being stupid the new fad?

I love my older daughter. She is beautiful, kind, well mannered, bright and loving. There isn't much that I can say that gets on my nerves with her. Yet. I am sure it is coming as she balances on the brink of teenagehood.

In fact, if this weekend is any indication, it is closer than I had hoped!

One of the things that I have noticed that she does is being stupid in front of her friends. Now I am not talking about doing something silly and just I think it is stupid. No. I mean pretend that she is a stupid girl. That she should do nothing but giggle and act like she has no clue in her brain on what is going on. It irritates me to no end.

I know she is not stupid. Megan is a very bright and intelligent girl. She sails through school like she is simply walking down the road. She procrastinates till the last minute on homework, assignments and studying and still pulls off A's and B's. She is usually a responsible young woman....till her friends are around.

When her friends are near, she makes it clear that the 'in thing' is to be stupid. Her friends are stupid. Everyone tells her she is stupid. And she is proud of that she says. It is the new fad, I guess, like acid washed jeans and neon 80's plastic jewelry!

To me, it is stupid to say you are stupid. So maybe she might be right!

She does things that she knows are not ok with me and then has the nerve to tell me she does them because she is stupid. Like I would EVER accept that one!

This past weekend she went to a friends house for a sleepover. Saturday she asked to stay another night cause her cousin was coming over too. Ok. I like the girl and know the mother and if it was ok with them then it was ok with me. It had been a while since Megan was on a sleepover anyway.

Sunday I call her to ask when I should pick her up and she tells me she doesn't know. So I decide and tell her 5pm. This gives her time to come home, clean her room, unpack, eat dinner and get ready for the school day tomorrow. 4:45 she calls me to ask if it can be 5:30. I tell her no. 5pm. Done. That is my final word and it will not change. This resulted in her whining and asking to stay to 6pm! (yeah it is getting later!). One thing lead to another and it turns out that she is NOT with her girlfriends mother. She is NOT at the girlfriends house. Megan, her cousin and the friend are in another town with the girls cousin at some park! The friends mother is at home!

Now Megan has my cell. It wasn't like she couldn't call me to ask if it were ok for a change in plans. She choose not too! She also choose not to give me details either.

All this accumulated into her being told to get her butt to the friends house ASAP and I was on my way there to talk with the mother! Lets just say that Dad and I were a little HOT! Livid was more the word I think! When I drop my child off someplace, I expect them to be there. Not running all over the state with someone who I do not know and never gave permission to!

Turned out the cousin was a 30 something year old who took them to her sons soccer game at the park. And Megan told them she had called us and we said ok. When I pointed out that I got no such call, Megan stands there with her friends as they all laugh about how 'stupid' Megan is cause she says she thought she called. Seriously? SERIOUSLY?!

We wiped the laugh off all their faces when we put each and everyone of them in place! This was NOT a laughing matter. It wasn't about being STUPID. And it certainly wasn't funny! It was about being irresponsible! It was about being considerate enough to call their parents and tell them where they were and ASK for permission on plan changes. It was about following rules and be respectful! It was about being truthful. This was NO joke!

Then we made each and everyone of those girls say sorry to the mother who they lied too and the cousin who they lied too as well! And Megan came home not a happy camper!

Lordy, if being stupid is the' in thing'.......I am so not 'IN'!

I can only hope that, like those acid jeans, this will fade into a long forgotten memory cause being stupid is soooooooooo not working for me!