Children do better when they have a trusted adult to look up to. Maintain that position by being loving and warm while giving - and insisting on receiving - respect. Don't get into screaming matches with a child since that brings you down to the child level. Don't argue back and forth, since that puts you in a defensive, childlike position. Don't allow your child to talk to you the way she might talk to a peer because, chummy as that might be, you want to be the grownup in the relationship, not a child. You're decades older than your youngster and while not necessarily wiser, YOU are the leader in the relationship, responsible for guiding that youngster to adulthood. Lead with dignity. Guide with love.
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