Discipline & Behavior - Whittier,CA

It sounds like the father lives there with you all, but is not taking responsibility for discipling his kids. Why is this responsibility falling on you? There have to be consequences for bad behavior. Sometimes kids have everything these days except responsibility. They must learn to earn things with good behavior. Take away cell phone, ipod, whatever you have to do to get their attention. After a time of good behavior, they earn back their things that they love.

Hi! R. I hope this helps. Try sending him or all of them to donate time at a shelter,food patry or even the boys and girls club. They can see what other kids do not have or what they have and others do not. Also you might try to put them in a group theraphy for teens that are being miss-understood.
Good luck and just in case what is their father doing about all this?

sincerely,
D. K.

It sounds like she needs counseling. She sounds like she is in the early stages of depression, and untreated, it can turn tragic. I also recommend getting her involved in a youth program for your faith.

I do not have teens yet but my oldest (10) is in therapy. I highly recommend it. Our insurance pays (our co-pay is $20). It's so worth it. The other thing I've heard from parents is getting them involved in an activity that they love leaves no time for trouble -- horse riding, tae kwon do, soccer, whatever it is just something to occupy their afternoons.

Best of luck to you.

Dear R.
I feel for you. I am a mother of two girls one 17 and the other 13. They are beautiful girls and i love them to dead. The oldest one lives with her father he has full custody and the 13 year old lives with both of us, we have 50/50 custody. The 13 year old has become very angry and she has this attidude that i dont like at all, her friends at school are also getting preagnant and some of them are doing drugs. My 13 year old daughter's grades are horrible and just seems to me i can control her ups and down moods. Just yesterday she threw a glass at me and it landed on the wall so now i have a big hole that needs patching, i sent her to her father's last nignt but i think i might had made the wrong move. He is not the best help at all i think he has issues of his own. But listen, Last week i took her to this great therapist in Los Alamitos her name is Priti R Sahgal ###-###-#### she specializes in Mood and Anxiety Disorders as well as Attention Deficit Disorders,she came highly recomended from some friends. Well after a few test I found out that my daughter has ADD and ADHD and she is also depressed. She was given meds and will begin counseling in a few weeks. Hopefully she will get better.
I know dealing with kids at 13 and 16 is hard. Hang in there grandma find some help. Do you have private insurance or Medical for the kids they might be able to pay for it.
Take care of yourself!