Opening Lines of Communication

How You Can Enforce the Rules

“Because you stayed at a party where there was no adult supervision and where people were using drugs, you’re not going anywhere — no mall, no movies, nowhere — for one week (up to three depending on whether the child lied and on how severe the act was).”

“You broke the most important rule — no drugs. We’ve talked about how I feel about that; here are the consequences of your behavior. You get no phone or television privileges for one week (up to three depending on whether the child lied and on how severe the act was). You do get Internet privileges, so that during that time, you can read a paper on the effects of drugs.”

The punishment should not be much longer than three weeks. If it’s too long, the child will forget why he’s being punished.

Table of Contents | Previous | Next