Humor
Have you ever used one of the following methods to try to get your teen to comply with a request to do something for you?
The Mellow to Maniac method - calmly asking your kid to do some chore and when it's not done by the 4th or 5th time you ask, losing your temper and screaming at him
The Humiliation Method - attempting to get compliance by putting your kid down. For example, "you call THAT washing the dishes?"
The Badgering Method - some call it nagging. Who hasn't done this at one time or another?
And finally, the Bribery Method - we usually use this when all else fails.
Instead of these techniques, which more often than not don't really work, try a little humor. For example, if a teen's allowance is based on doing chores that are not being done, instead of screaming or badgering, you can say, "hmmm, what movie am I going to see with that $10 I'll be saving this week?"
Laughing at yourself over a silly mistake is another way to get your kids to see that you don't take yourself so seriously.
While humor works much better than many other techniques, we must understand that sarcasm or hurtful humor will make the problem worse. Use humor when you know your teen will understand the point you are making and not as an attempt to put them down.
As parents we have a responsibility to teach our children acceptable from unacceptable behavior. Before resorting to punishments which are often useless, give humor a try.