TEEN: EARNING PRIVILEGES

The parents must have the ultimate power in their home. Children who run over parental power need to be stopped. You have things that your children take for granted are theirs: Food, the phone, the TV, toys, clothes, computers, TV games, etc.  These things may be removed from a child and earned back with behavior that is appropriate. (1) You do your homework every night this week and you can watch TV over the weekend; you don’t do your homework and the (television, computers or video games) is/are  not turned on all weekend. (2) Your ticket to dinner is that all dirty clothes are put into the hamper and all clean clothes are put away, (3) You choose not to swear in our home and you may use the phone, (4) You will help me weed the garden this weekend for the right to use the computer.

Young people who assume that they are given everything they need do not learn the value of simple things like food, a place to sleep and other accessories to survival. It is the job of the parent to set boundaries and to enforce them. I have never seen a young person who respects a parent who chooses not to do so.

Copyright (C) Sandy Spurgeon McDaniel, 2000