When it comes to discipline and boundaries, parents should try to stand united. When they are on the same page with discipline, boundaries, and consequences, they are halfway there. But it’s not easy. Very few parents are naturally on the same page when it comes to discipline. Maybe it’s dad who is too lenient and wants to befriend the teen and mom who has to do all the discipline. Maybe it’s the opposite. But the kids take advantage of the divided front, and the parents end up resenting one another.
The easiest way to get on the same page is to keep the goal in front of you: to build your child’s character and to help him or her become a responsible adult—not to make your child happy. Though it’s sometimes difficult, the more united you can be and the less mixed messages you send to your kids, the better off they will be. Someone once said, “I don’t know the secret of success for families, but I do know the secret of failure: trying to keep everybody happy all the time.” That really does make a difference in our parenting.
Getting on the same page means developing a philosophy of parenting that both parents can agree to. Then work the plan, stay calm, and do what you can do to stay emotionally healthy. This can be difficult for a married couple, so divorced parents trying to co-parent their children often find being united in parenting even more difficult. It is still a worthy goal. Parents could read a book together once a year or go to a parenting seminar. Counseling or family coaching could also be helpful.
It takes time, energy, and intentionality to get on the same page as your spouse, but it will strengthen your relationship and keep you from always parenting in reactive mode.
Excerpted from Jim Burn’s book, “Understanding Your Teen.”
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