We parents have been led to believe that for our teens and tweens to learn to behave appropriately, we must instill a little fear in them.

At the very least, we have to "show them we mean business" when they fail to meet our expectations or do something wrong.

But discipline, it turns out, is not about retribution or fear or punishment (especially when it comes to parenting teenagers).

If we want our teens and tweens to listen to us, cooperate, and ask for our advice and opinions, we have to get discipline right.

Listen in to today's episode as I answer 3 big questions about teen discipline:

1. What are we actually trying to accomplish when we "discipline" our teens?
2. Why does punishment backfire? and
3. How can we discipline effectively without damaging the relationship with our teens?

And be sure to check out today's Substack post (5-6-25) where I give you some specific guidelines on issuing logical consequences for your teen or tween that will keep them out of the realm of "punishments".

Access TRANSCRIPT here.

Thank you so much for listening to the show! If you found it helpful in some way, please share it with someone who could also benefit from it. And if you prefer listening on a podcast app, please be sure and follow the show so new episodes will automatically pop up in your que.

I make this show for you, and I really appreciate and value your feedback. I’d love your suggestions for how I make the show better. And if you’d like me to cover a specific topic or you have a parenting question that I could discuss in a future episode, please reach out, I’d love to hear from you!

You may be interested in one or more of my FREE Parenting Guides.

Sources, Resources, and Mentions:

15, 108, 133, and 211 (episodes on teen autonomy)

8, 30, 102, 107, 120, and 127 (episodes on your emotions)

"Emotional Awareness Strategies" (free parenting guide)

130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137 (foundational teen parenting series)