From thinking apart to thinking together

I see so many parents get stuck in the erroneous belief that they have to agree about every facet of parenting.

It's a myth folks. Parents do not have to agree on each and every facet of the complicated job of parenting.

While parents do not have to think alike, in order to have a healthy and well functioning family, parents do have to learn to think together.

There are many ways to move from thinking apart to thinking together.

One of the simplest is to try on, even if only for a day or so, the parenting style of the other parent. This works because each parent can learn form the other and discover how another style can work.

Although thinking together will not solve all of a family's problems, it does put the parents on the same team.

What happens when parents think together

• The parents back each other up.
• There is a team approach to parenting.
• The parents are clearly in charge.
• The kids are capable of accepting no for an answer, even if they do not like it.
• Parents are able to detect and head off manipulation.
• The parent's marriage is stronger.
• The kids learn to delay gratification.
• The family is less chaotic and more organized.

This can lay the ground work for a well functioning family during the sometimes tumultuous teen years.

And just remember, the teen years do not last forever.

Visit ParentingYourTeenager.com for tips and tools for thriving during the teen years. You can also subscribe to our f*r*e*e 5 day e-program on The Top 5 Things to Never Say to Your Teenager, from parenting coach and expert Jeff Herring.