It was a hot, sunny afternoon. I woke up very late and looked around in boredom. I had nothing to do because I got all my work done yesterday.  I wondered if I could call my friend, Annie, who lived nearby and ask her out to do something fun. After all, nobody lived anywhere near me, and I figured she was my best chance at going outside. Before I could even pick up the phone, it started to ring. It was Annie! She asked me if I wanted to go out and of course I said yes. I excitedly ran to the closet and chose my clothes carefully. I made sure to pick the most casual and free outfit that I could find so that Annie and I would have no problem biking around our neighborhood.

Once I had finished washing up and getting dressed, I packed my backpack and was ready to go out. Just before I walked out the door, though, I bumped into my mom who had just come back from a shopping trip. She stopped me on my way out and asked where I was going. Unsure of whether she would stop me from going altogether, I carefully responded: “I’m going out for a ride with Annie.” Thankfully, my mom didn’t even blink and quickly ushered me outside, offering a cheerful “Okay! Have fun!” I was so excited that I met Annie at our meetup spot at the gate in little to no time.

From there, we went to a big mall nearby, and one of the first places I saw was a candy shop！There were all kinds of candies, ranging from chocolates to fruit candy to gummies and more. All of them were different colors. Red and blue and purple. I couldn’t imagine how many flavors and tastes we could find in that little store. I asked Annie if she wanted to buy anything, and she nodded. We both liked the same soft, jelly candy. Luckily, it wasn’t that much money either! But when the time came to pay for it, Annie suddenly admitted that she couldn’t afford it. She needed me to pay.

"I haven't got any money, Amy. Please, I'm begging you!” 

It didn’t matter much to me. The candy was not that expensive, and she was my friend. I wanted her to have fun and enjoy the candy just like I was, so I paid. We scampered downstairs for lunch. And of course, I paid for the lunch, too.

After our trip to the mall, we rode back home happily then said goodbye reluctantly. I came home tired and found my mother reading in the living room. I said hello and went back to my room to change into my pajamas after a long day. While I lay in bed, my mom walked into my room and asked me if I had had fun. She wanted to know all about our day—where did we go? What did we eat? How much did it all cost?

I offered her the standard replies— “To the mall! Thai food; yummy!”—but when it came time to tell her about the prices, our conversation went sour. After telling my mom that I paid 200 RMB for Annie, she immediately got angry and told me that I should have split it with her.

"Yes, yes, I will next time," I said impatiently. I didn’t really mean that. I just wanted her to leave me alone. I guess she could tell because she pressed on.

“I’m not joking, tell her on WeChat to give you the money back or I will take all of your money!”

She seemed very angry. I was really tired, though, and I didn't want to reply to her, so I just closed my door and went to sleep. 

What I didn't expect is that she was so furious that she pushed the door open, came in and took my phone, then transferred the money on my WeChat all to herself. After doing all of this, she threw my phone on the ground and yelled “I will give you a second chance. If you ask Annie for the money back right now, then I will give back all your money." This is when I started to get angry. It was my money! Why would she get to decide what I do with it? Plus, I had already paid for her. There was no point in going backwards now. I told my mom as much, but she didn’t seem to understand my perspective.

This fight was one of the first times I ever argued with my mom, and neither of us were necessarily right or wrong.

We had a conversation, and I told her my opinion. She seemed to listen, but I guess she didn’t agree. 

At the end of this fight, my mom and I still had different opinions, but I apologized to her for my bad attitude. That doesn't mean I agree with her, though. Of course, adults and children will have different opinions.We can try to compromise, but sometimes even that doesn’t work out. The most important thing is that we try to accept it. That fight was the first time I had ever stood up to my mother. That’s probably all a part of growing up. I feel like children are always the ones who apologize. Of course, sometimes adults may listen to children's opinions, but they will not always carry them out. I am still proud of myself for telling my mom how I felt, though. I know that she won’t always agree with me, but at least I let her know that I had an opinion of my own in the first place.