My partner and I keep falling into the same fight about rules and consequences with our teenagers - I want to explain why we're saying no and have conversations, but they think I'm being too soft and just want the kids to listen because we said so. We're starting to undermine each other in front of the kids and I can see them playing us against each other.
More people experience this than they realize.
Two parents are caught between different philosophies of power and relationship, creating inconsistency that their children are learning to exploit.
“Where Are You with Authoritative vs. authoritarian parenting?”
If this sounds familiar, the Library can help you find the bigger picture.