I’m going to tell you right now raising a teenager or two can be very hard. That is because while they are not little children any more they are not quite adults yet either, but are extremely knowledgeable and certainly more bold than when I was in that age group. Sometimes it seem like everything is a contest or a power of wills if you will.

You are still responsible for raising them right, as well as feeding them, clothing them, and putting a roof over their heads. It also goes without saying that you are also responsible for teaching them responsibility and their discipline to. Talk about walking a tightrope lol.

Fortunately I still have a few tools at my disposal and I am not shy about using them to get my way either. My favorite tools are their allowances, the internet, and their cell phones. These are particularly good tools to have in your arsenal because it allows you to have supreme control over their environment in your home and nearly as much on them when they are outside of the home.

An allowance is a good way to teach them responsibility. My kids earn their allowances by performing chores both in the home and on the property as well. I am not saying they do all of the work, but to get their cash they have to earn it. They also have to learn that right now having a paying job is a privilege not a right. They also have to learn that if they don’t do their work then there is a penalty and it costs them money.

The internet is another tool that I have that I use all the time. Having access to the internet is also a privilege not a right. I don’t know a teenager that can go more than one day without suffering from a Web Jones. If my kids don’t do their homework or don’t do their work in school, they don’t get on the computer. That’s it, end of story for them. They also lose this privilege if they think they can win an argument with either me or my better half, because we refuse to lose.

Last but most certainly not least is their cell phones. I treat these much as I do the internet - they are not a right they are also a privilege. They can use these if they do what is required of them educationally, as well as following the rules we lay out for them. If they don’t live up to their responsibilities they don’t have phone privileges.

Of course the one idea that I go out of my way to reinforce with them is that any and all of these privileges can be revoked for any offense, depending upon the severity of their transgression. That does not mean that I am a harsh taskmaster, on the contrary I am very mellow person most of the time. I just make sure they know where my limitations and their boundaries are and keep those lines drawn consistently.

I hope this little blog has helped to give some of you parents with brain damaged teenagers to raise a little insight and help in the arena of parenting, lol. Have a great Friday the 13th and an awesome weekend, CIAO4NOW!!!!!