Hah! I remember my father had split the TV cable and could only enable it with a connector. He'd done it to make sure our (the kids) TV time was limited to after he got home from work. I learned that I could get a signal if I fashioned a connector out of tin foil. Not a great one but good enough to get a snowy analogue signal.

It was actually fun and felt like an achievement.

I turned the router off earlier (continuing online play at mealtime ...), I forgot to switch it on again and was upset that the older kids didn't "fix" it. At least you showed some initiative.

Oh man, the pointless challenge of setting up rules and then unpredictably being OK with them being broken or not. Not considered to be best practice for any position of authority, including parenting, but widely modeled I guess.

Because, "it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission." ... Sometimes teenagers do know where their own limits should be better than parents. In real life, there are times you break the rules, sometimes its' okay, sometimes it isn't. It's an important lesson to learn.

In the end, totalitarian views are what got us into the current political climate. Being able to negotiate, and sometimes push boundaries and break rules are important life skills.

That's not pointless at all. Teens especially need to break rules, so make some that you are OK with them breaking.

But don't tell them that.

FWIW I wouldn't be OK with them breaking the rules, but I'd appreciate the character trait that leads to someone who when challenged will look for a workaround.

In this situation the rule had been fulfilled, the meal was finished, and so finding a way to get back online was perfectly "lawful".

I'm pretty legalistic in a rational way with domestic rules for my kids - they can't flout the rules but they can provide a logical challenge and change the rules.

This situation was poor time management on my child's behalf.

My mom took the keyboard and hid it in her room. I found one in a dumpster, and used it when she wasn't home. I kept my keyboard hidden in my room as well.