Dealing with Children

First off..giving in is never the answer to get someone to change. If you condone the behavior and let it go on, you can't complain about it. You are part of the problem.

My advice would be to set boundaries and stick to them. Your sister runs the house and everyone in it. It's time to stop that and put your foot down. (That goes for Mom).Yell at her in front of her friends. Be the mean parent for a change. Demand respect and don't back down until you get it.

I used to think I would just die if any of my kids would say they hated me or that I was mean. I like it now...my job is done and they will thank me later.

Good luck.

She needs consistent consequences for bad behavior. But if your mom hasn't implement that on her own, good luck. How old is she??

Hi N.,

you don't say how old your little sister is, which makes a big difference. But in general I think you already know how to make her act better: by not giving in. Happily this is not your problem though, and it is not your responsibility. Try to find a quiet moment to talk to your mom about your feelings and how you would like the situation to change. Maybe you can work together as a family towards more harmony. Good luck to you.

When she acts like that everyone needs to just turn their back on her and walk away. Let her rant and rave if she wants. It won't take long for her friends to see how rude she is and they may walk away too.

Giving a child what they want when they are misbehaving just reinforces the bad behavior.

You mother must insist on being respected. When your little sister, is disrespectful in front of friends with your mother it is important for your mom to embarress the heck out of her. Her little jaw needs to hit the ground by whatever action your mother takes make the peer pressure work for you. If she wants to act up in front of her friends she should be prepared to suffer the consequences. There are so many tools parents have in their arsenal to get children to behave. Is there some baby picture she wouldn't like her friends to see "the money shot" (the one picture the kid would pay money for friends not to see). Whip it out. Or trying just calmly saying no. No matter what she does just say no and later when she wants to spend time with her friends you tell she can't and it is because she did or said ABC or 123.

Parenting isn't for the feint at heart but for the brave. If your mother isn't up for the task, you may be better equipped to handle this depending on how interactive you are with your sister. If you were willing to spend more time with her and her friends, you could also be a useful tool in correcting incorrect behavior. If she does something inappropriate with your mother, you discipline her but she knows the discipline will come however it will be most effective and appropriate coming from your mother.

great question, but because your mom is letting her get away with it, she will keep doing her thing. you, on the other hand, can let her know (when she acts out to you) that you will speck to her when she is ready to talk nicely to you.

Sorry to hear your having such a rough time. I'll be blunt. Stop giving in to her. All your doing is rewarding bad behavior. She needs to understand whose the parent. Your mom provides for and loves her, therefor she should be respected enough to not be back-talked. Mom needs to lay down the ground rules, establish some balance in the home then stick to what she says. It will be rough but is will produce the right results.