Your kid is being a brat, punk, apple (whatever descriptor you're willing to use for your child when they just won't listen...).
What do you do?
Do you ground them? Take away privileges? Spank them?
The right answer is hard to find, and it changes for every parent, child, and situation.
As Justin Worsham of The Dad Podcast said, "I think it is important that we parent from a place of comfort. What I mean is, it is difficult to be someone that you are not, so it is even more difficult to be a parent that you are not. If you are not a disciplinarian, don’t try to be a Tiger Mom, or if you are a disciplinarian, don’t feel like you have to be your kids' friend. I think you should take in parenting info with an open mind and naturally you will find what makes sense to you, and that often you will find a sweet spot somewhere in the middle."
Let's expand on a common occurrence...
Grounding my child just doesn't work. What should I do?
Well, obviously, it is different for everyone, but there are some things you should keep in mind.
Before you get angry, connect with you child. Listen to them, ask them questions, and understand where they are coming from. Then, after connecting with them, figure out a proper punishment, while still understanding that the problem will not be eliminated instantly.
When it all comes down to it, Justin explained it pretty well.
"Stay calm, but don’t beat yourself up too much if you lose it. We all do.
Talk it out with your kid.
Stay consistent with consequences that make sense to you.
And model the person you would like them to be."
Read more about grounding and alternatives to it at Psychology Today and Empowering Parents
To hear more of Justin's take on punishment effectiveness and alternatives, and other parenting topics, you can check out all of his stuff at The Dad Podcast
Check out his latest episode with Jay "PodVader" Soderberg, @TheRealPodVader, about the Super Bowl and date night.