Top 10
Family Fights

If your kids constantly nag you to let them stay up late, take comfort: You're not alone. According to a recent Roper Reports poll, parents of children 12 and under say their top ten battles are over:

1. Bedtime
2. What products to buy
3. TV programs
4. Clothes
5. Playing video games
6. Having friends over
7. Staying out later
8. Fast food
9. Movies
10. Food purchases

But before you surrender and buy the 80 brands of cereal your child asks for or let her stay up at night until she drops, try this snappy rejoinder when faced with an unreasonable request: No.

"An explicit 'no' rather than a vague or indirect response works best," says Ann Eisenberg, an associate professor of psychology at the department of behavioral and cultural sciences at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Using such a firm and assertive response may make you a little uncomfortable at first, but bear in mind that the cost of the peace-at-any-price approach soars in the teen years. Think car keys.

 

Parenting October 1996 Glenda Wheeler