Family therapist and author of the book "Ending the Parent-Teen Control Battle," Neil Brown, explained the normal disagreements between teen and parents become serious when negotiations become chronic and negative. A basic principle is the parent must not own the child's problem by trying to always solve it for them, and cannot control the child's behavior, but can control the gateway for the child's privileges which encourages the child to do the right thing to solve the problem themselves. Listen to Neil explain how trying to control the child's behavior is an exercise in futility and just encourages resistance, but holding firm on requiring the child to earn privileges is the key.
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