I like to think that as parents the better half and I are fairly easy going in that department. We make sure that both of our teenagers have everything they need and most of what they want too. As far as our kids go they a pretty well behaved and they seem to love us as much as we love them. Both of our kids also have their own sets of responsibilities in and around the house that they are required to complete if they want their allowances and other privileges too.

However at what point do we have to draw the line when it appears that they are not living up to their responsibilities, which I might add are not as tough or stringent as in other families. We really feel that throughout the course of the day as well as for the week that they do not have to do all that much in order to keep their privileges and toys. Yet every now and then they seem to want to see how much they can get away with and the second they get called on it, they act like their life has ended and that we are picking on them.

I’m not going to tell you that I was a well behaved teenager, because the truth is I may not have been the devil back then, but I was one of his own, or so my mother tells me, LOL. However my wife, who for the record has had her moments as a teen, was an academic in highschool and college, as well as the proverbial preachers daughter, and fairly conservative as a teen. As a result of our differences in our upbringings we have come to realize that there has to be rules and punishment when they are broken.

Now before you all jump to conclusions I am not talking about physical punishment at all. Besides both of our kids are to old for a spanking at this stage in their lives, although for the record as a father I never believed in sparing the rod to spoil the child. I punish them by taking away their computer, phone, TV, allowance and sometimes even their social obligations to friends.

I’m here to tell you when they lose any of those you will get their attention too. When my kids want those things back they break land speed records in the performance of their familial obligations. Don’t get me wrong they will moan and complain the whole time they are taking care of business, but they get it all done in record time. Somehow I don’t think that this makes us bad parents either, so let us know what you think.

That’s all today for this installment of Parents “R” Us, but I guarantee you will be hearing from us again soon. Have a terrific day and CIAO4NOW!!!!!