When is it time to replace things?

I can admit that my family have trouble deciding when something is ratty, disgusting or broken enough that it needs to be thrown out and a replacement needs to be bought.

  

Unfortunately, I appear to be the only one who can admit that. My parents are blind (sorry dad) when it comes to realizing that WE NEED A REPLACEMENT!!!!

Some fine examples are:

Our balcony. After it suffered significant water damage and my dad put his foot through it (and later on I put my foot through it), it was decided that the floor needed to be replaced… no duh!

(my foot isn't normally this red- it got scratched going through the wood.... and it was cold....)

I’m still in the process of trying to convince my parents that a new doormat is needed. Does this one have sentimental value I don't know about?

My cheap, Mac computer charger I bought off eBay two years ago is short circuiting the house- not so subtle hint, huh?

Plus it gives off sparks when I plug it in.

(don't mock the drawing- it was hard. And yes, that brown line is a wall.)

The kids TV still has a box behind it. Need I say anything else?

guess I can only dream of a flatscreen...

Our second-hand, home-made guinea-pig hutch was over ten years old and was the home of billions of earwigs (and two guinea pigs and a rabbit)

Two months ago, my sister and I wore down our parents and they coughed up a third of the dough needed for a new hutch. Caitlin and I paid the other two thirds.

Why are parents so unobservant?????????????

Love Juni

Parents and their Priorities

Everyone has priorities in their lives. I do, you do, everybody does. But stupid me thought that my parents’ number one priority was the safety of their child- me. Or my sister. Clearly, I was wrong.

Our balcony is really, really worn through because six years ago (when it was built) my dad forgot to do the grouting. Oops. Anyway, now it’s really, really water damaged and we have to get it fixed. And to save a few bucks, dad decided that we could pull up the tiles ourselves.

So my job was to throw the tiles down off the balcony to the ground below- may I take the time to mention the balcony’s on the second story? It was boring as hell, but I was being a good daughter and doing my job.

Then disaster struck. As I stepped on a tile-less space, my foot went right through. In less then two seconds, my entire leg was hanging through the hole, with my butt stopping me from falling. Holy shit.

My response? Cue loud, embarrassingly high-pitched scream. I would have sworn (loudly), but my parents wouldn’t have approved. Anyway, only a thin piece of water-damaged wood that I had just proved was not capable of holding the weight of a sixteen-year-old girl (and I’m not heavy, people!) was what was keeping me from falling down from the second storey to the concrete below!!!!!!!

My dad’s reaction? He called out to mum, who was on the ground below, “is the light okay?” because underneath the balcony there’s a light- our outside light- that he was afraid I'd knocked down. In actuality, I was about a meter across from it (possibly more). My mums Mum’s reaction? "Don’t move Juni! (wait for it) Let me get the camera!” I know right??? Caring parents, much???

Now I have an embarrassing photo of my leg sticking out of the bottom of the balcony that mum texted to ALL my aunts, uncles, grandparents… sadistic bitc woman. And I have the knowledge that a fifty dollar outside light means more to my dad than the safety of his own daughter! I mean, he’s blind! The least he could have done was check I wasn’t bleeding, dying, or in severe pain! It’s not like he could see me!

Anyway, that little fall ended up costing my parents almost $500 dollars extra… oops. It’s also left me safe in the knowledge that my parents’ priorities are completely and utterly about my safety.

Love Juni!