I meet a lot of great parents. They’re doing things right. But the true test comes when your child messes up!

I’m often telling parents to spend one-on-one time with their kid, to ask questions, to listen, to give responsibility and to pick their battles wisely. These are all positive steps forward! But they lose all their momentum if mom and dad retract their relationship once things get bumpy.

When your kid messes up, you might be tempted to pull away to show your disapproval by retracting your love. But once you do that, you invalidate all the great things you’ve been doing in your relationship with your teen.

Mom, Dad, don’t pull away when things get ugly! Love ‘em even when it’s hard!

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