Recently, I was talking to my two middle-school sons about the importance of listening the first time they’re asked to do something, especially when it really matters.
But before I got far, my oldest interrupted, rolling his eyes: “Bruh, it’s not that deep.”
“FYI, I’m not your bruh,” I replied.
The exchange reminded me of a meme that I had shared with them: “Mom asks. No one listens. Mom repeats five times. No one listens. Mom screams like a rabid animal. Kids: ‘Why is mom so crazy?’”
For many parents, that is a very familiar situation. But there are some tools I picked up during my psychiatry and family therapy training that I have been using for more than two decades in my practice and at home. They actually get your kids to listen, and fast.
