Are your parents disobeying you? Have their rebellious acts brought you to the brink of your patience? Say no more! Here are five brilliant steps to help your troublesome parents get back on track.

Step One: Set clear boundaries for your parents.

Make sure your parents understand what is expected of them. Don’t forget that communication is key with this unruly age, so make sure to have daily reminders for your parents about the social order of the household.

Step Two: Set realistic expectations.  

If you doubt your rules, check with other teenagers about their family expectations. Sometimes other families know exactly how your own family works, so comparing your parents to theirs can  be a sure-fire way to make your parents behave.

Step Three: Ask questions.

Ask your parents about anything and everything. People like to talk about themselves, so probe them about their day, ask them about the thing that they’re laughing at, the latest work gossip, and the newest information on crushes. If they don’t answer the first time, it probably means they want you to inquire about their day even harder.

Step Four: Keep track of your parent’s moves.

Make sure to go through their text conversations, because nothing will give you more information than invading a person’s privacy and reading private messages. This could give you quite the insight into your parent’s  life, including their plans, their friends, the drama in their lives, and when the best time would be to enact punishments.

Step Five: Have fun with your parents.

Help them with their problems, remind them of homework and chores, and make sure to take them out of the house from time to time. Even parents, with their obsession with technology, need quality family time once in awhile.

Bonus Holiday Step: The present dilemma.

Parents love guessing games, so make sure not to give them any hint of what you want for the holidays. Some great phrases to help your parents out with present ideas are “Whatever you want”, and “The holidays aren’t about presents.” These phrases work so well with parents because it gives them absolutely no hints whatsoever at what you want!