Jiffy_Jafferson :
the worst case is CPS will offer to help find supports for you, but from one phone call they won't do much. and if they do, which they won't, the minute CPS hints at taking the kid away, the kid will back down pretty fast. 13 years old is a hard age, I've been there, and it does pass. I found you can't fight with fire though, you need to find a way to negotiate, find a way to work with the kid and talk to them with respect, no matter how crazy they are being. and try to put yourself in your kids place, they are told all day what to do at school and at home, they have no power over their lives, they have adults telling them what to do left and right. if you want to connect with them more, consider how much this phone rule really matters. Maybe you could find other times and ways to connect with them, and lose this argument with them this time. let them have one little bit of power once in a while. it's just a suggestion, from a parent who has been there. I gave up a few rules, and things weren't perfect. But they talk to me now, and they are great kids. I had to realise that once they turned 13, I didn't actually hold the power any more. if they have the power to walk out of your house in the middle of the night and scare the life out of you, then they are the ones who hold the power. you have to work with them, in my opinion. Of course this depends on the temperament of the kid, follow your instincts with it.
2026-10-13 11:29:19