3 Strikes?

"Mark, What do you think of the “3-strikes-you’re-out” rule. We thought we would give our 15-year-old son one verbal warning for misbehavior, if the problem continued, give him one written warning, if the problem continued, issue the 3-day discipline. Have you heard of anyone trying this? Do you think it will work? Thanks in advance, M."

 ````````````````````````````````

Hi M., 

 I don’t think this method will hurt anything, but I don’t recommend it because it will be a waste of your time and energy. The “3-strikes method” is just another traditional parenting strategy that makes little – if any – change in the child’s behavior. I find that when you give a kid 3 strikes -- he uses all 3. 

Teenagers, by definition, push against the world to see how it will push back …they test the limits …they spend a lot of time figuring out how much they can get away with. This is normal for a teenager. Thus, you can count on your son using all 3 strikes. A better method would be “When You Want Something From Your Kid” in the eBook (a “1-strike-and-your-out” method).

Mark @ Online Parent Support

Current Research on Drug Use in Teenagers in the U.S. (2025)

As we navigate through 2025, the urgent need to understand and address drug use among teenagers in the United States has intensified. The la...