Your defense from teenage WMD’s — Whining, Manipulation, Disrespect
Do you have a house full of WMD’s?
To be clear: I’m not talking about Weapons of Mass Destruction.
I’m talking about:
Whining
Manipulation
Disrespect
…Your daughter nagging you incessantly to race home from work to take her to a friends house.
…Your son leaving his stuff all over the house, treating you like his personal butler.
(What does he think this is, Downton Abbey?!?!)
So what is your counter defense from teenage WMDs?
Start by committing this simple phrase to memory:
Whatever You Permit, You Promote.
So if your son says “Take me to Darren’s house NOW!”, and you do such, you’re unintentionally promoting that he can DEMAND things from you.
If your daughter gets into trouble at school and you go and put out the fire, you’re unintentionally promoting that she has doesn’t have to take RESPONSIBILITY for her choices.
The key is to DETECT unwanted behaviors from the onset.
Sometimes you you can simply teach a different/better habit on the spot by saying something like…
“Hey, I know you want a ride right now. When you can show me you can be polite and patient, I’m happy to do it for you. Let’s talk again in 30 minutes and try this again.”
Then you end the conversation and mosey on your way like the calm boss parent you are.
