Ahhh. Manipulation at it's best.

I've put myself in these positions so many times I've wondered if I would ever learn. It starts out as an innocent request or question and ends up being a whole big pile of....you know what. Experience is a wonderful teacher though:eyebrows: I've had bios request to call their children and a few sentences later sum it up, "Yeah, so, I can't wait for you to call me so I can talk with the kids." I politely remind them that our original agreement (2 sentences ago) was for them to call ME. I once had parents go on a school field trip with their child only to show up and "forget" to bring lunch money. I didn't realize that lunch was provided. Instead of returning the money, they bought their child a trinket at the gift shop (I'm sure it was done with all the grandeur they could muster). Could have been worse I guess, they could have just kept it. I've had bios ask me for money, in front of their children, b/c they "haven't eaten all day". When I declined, the kids started crying and that night at dinner they just kept saying how unfair it was that they were eating and their parents weren't. I have provided whole bday parties like this before. I would rather prop the parents up in small ways than deal with children's sorrow when they realize that they're parents really don't care.