Now see, if I had kids telling my kids that, I'd tell my kids very matter of factly "Well, I'm sorry that so and so is saying that to you. Truth is, no, you are NOT an adult, and I'm sorry that your friend's parents don't love them enough to want to stay active in their lives up until they are of legal age, which dear, is 18, NOT 17, however, if you wish to commit a felony crime and your dream is to be tried like an adult, don't let ME stop you. In the meantime, until you are 18, you belong to me. It is my responsibility to care for you. If you wish to keep arguing this subject with me, I will be placing a call to all of your friends that are so convinced that you are an adult, and I will discuss this topic with their parents, and then you will no long be allowed to socialize with them. Is this your ultimate goal? If not, then I would zip it and get out of my face before I unleash a fury on you like you have never known before."
And if she STILL pushed it, I'd take away car privileges, cell phones, computers, all the luxuries that YOU as a mature, working adult have paid for with the hard earned money that you WORKED so hard for, and I would tell her "A mature adult is able to purchase these things by themselves. Seeing as how you depend on me to buy them for you, that means that you are not yet mature, and therefore you do not need them. If there is something here that I took away that YOU bought with YOUR hard earned money, please, correct me and I will return it. Oh, and your rent is due on the 1st and 15th of the month. Be on time with it, a mature, responsible ADULT would be."
Yeah, depending on my mood I can be wicked and quite cunning. My children dare not try those games with me, I'll make their lives so miserable they'll wish they had never crossed me! My older daughter is already learning that. The younger one, eh, she's harder headed, but she'll learn eventually.
