Regular consequences lead to fewer arguments with your teen

She's missed her curfew. You're too tired to argue about it, so you let it slide. It happens all the time. Parents think they are avoiding an argument by letting their teens break the rules.

And they are--for the moment. But they're really just postponing the battle until the next time they try to enforce the rules.

It's one of the great mysteries of discipline. The more consistently you apply consequences, the less you will have to impose them.

When you're inconsistent, your teen starts to think you don't really mean what you say. The rules really aren't rules--they're more like suggestions. So she'll fight your rules all the time. After all, sometimes pushing back works.

On the other hand, if you enforce curfew every time, your teen will almost never fight. She knows what to expect if she breaks the rules, so she's more likely to follow them.

Reprinted with permission from the April 2010 issue of Parents Still make the difference!® (High School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2010 The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc. Source: Gregory Bodenhamer, Parent in Control, ISBN: 0-684-80777-7 (Fireside Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, www.simonsays.com).