My Control Issues

My family already knows this, but I have some serious control issues. I have a very strong personality and I want to be in control all the time. Ron knows how to handle me and lets me think I am in control for the most part. This also worked well when my kids were younger but now that they are adults, it's not working for me so well. I am having a very hard time letting them grow up and make their own decisions.

It happened again on Friday night. It started out as any other normal Friday night. Ron left for work, I was headed out to dinner with our friends, Rex and Michele and Brenna was going out with Bry to find him a new coat, grab a bite to eat and then the plan was to go star gazing. About 8pm I get a text from Brenna that said "I'm buying a new car!" Wait, back up a minute. How do you go from buying a new coat and star gazing to buying a new car?

I text her back and thought she was joking. She didn't reply so then I called her. She couldn't talk because they were making the deal. I start to loose it at this point. I call Ron at work and tell him he needs to talk to his daughter. I'm upset so she's HIS daughter at this point. He just laughs and says he has already talked to her and she is set on doing this so I need to keep my mouth shut. Like that is going to happen.

I call her back and convince her to sleep on it at least over night. Go back in the morning and get the car if it's what she really wants, but sleep on it. Don't get me wrong, Brenna deserves a new car and she has the money for it. She has driven her other car since she turned 16 and it was used when we got it. My whole issue with this is that it's such an impulsive purchase. Yes, she has talked about a new car ever since graduation but we really tried to convince her to get some more money into savings, start paying off her student loans etc before getting a car. She had backed off on it over the summer but all of a sudden Friday night she is buying a car. After that call she said she would sleep on it but not an hour later she calls me back and starts off the conversation with "Don't be mad . . . ." You know it's not going to be a good call when it starts like that!

I really do wish she had waited, but about 11pm Brenna drives in all excited with a brand new 2011 Nissan Juke. It's a new model, kind of different looking but totally fits her personality. I am happy for her, just wish it hadn't been such an impulsive purchase. I'm glad Bry was with her to help negotiate, but at least they gave her some decent money for her trade in.

Now my biggest complaint? She got a red car too! What's with my kids getting red cars? Red is MY color! I've already told Ron he can't get a red car but at this point I bet he does just to annoy me.