re: What do you do when grounding doesn't work?

quote:

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This weekend is homecoming and my first instinct is to yank it away, but I don't want to punish the poor girl who has the dress, has the shoes, and is looking forward to the dance.

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There’s never going to be a good time to punish your kid when there won’t be some collateral damage.

But finding an excuse like this to not punish him (and he wouldn’t be leaving the house for awhile without my presence after what he’s done) is likely part of the reason he feels he can get away with what he’s doing. She’ll be fine. He needs to understand it’s not your fault he can’t go to homecoming. It’s his due to his behavior.

- Take away the cell phone and electronics. I guarantee he’s being egged in there by peers.
- Make him work to earn the money to pay off the repairs on brother’s car
- Make him do some community service. Soup kitchen, volunteering in the community.

If issues continue, I tend to agree with others that something like military school at this point may be necessary.