Parenting & Respect

We have been watching active parenting videos from Michael Popkin this week.  Something that stood out to me was that parents are to treat their teens with respect.  When parents respect their children, it prepares them for every other relationship they will have in life.  One of the best ways to do that is to use "I messages."  "I messages" have 4 steps:

1. Start with saying, "I have a problem with..." Focus on the problem being the enemy- not the teen.
2. Tell the teen how the problem leaves you feeling.  They need to learn how their actions effect others.
3. Tell them the reasons behind your feelings. "Because..." 
4. Finally, reiterate what you would like the teen to do.