I met a wonderful couple last night in Rush City, Minnesota.  The parents of four children, they came to my Say Yes to No talk together.  And they came together for a reason.  Here is their story:

Being parents of four kids, they’ve been in the parenting business for quite some time.  She is the stricter parent, he the more lenient.  In fact, the stricter she got, the more lenient he became and vice versa.  Their wake up call came in the form of their fifteen year old son.  They began to realize that he was playing them off against one another and in the end getting whatever he wanted, while they argued.

The final incident occurred when their son came to his dad and asked to extend his curfew that night.  The dad said quickly said yes without consulting his wife.  When she found out, sparks flew and an argument began.  Their son of course was free and clear on his way for a long night out with his friends.

These parents realized they needed to do something different.  They realized that their inconsistency was not doing their son any good. As part of their plan they came together to my Say Yes to No talk, hoping to get a road map.  As luck would have it, I focus on the need for parents to be on the same page in dealing with discipline, limits and consequences with their children.

Say Yes to No gave these parents a reason and a road map to get on the same page and they left the talk with a commitment to each other to communicate before decisions are made and to be consistent.

What are your challenges to being a consistent parent?

Dr. Dave