You Don't Want to Be the Boss of Your Child

i think there's a lot of confusion among parents to day about this issue. We can learn to set boundaries with the child without in any way attacking them. No two year old is ready to make all her own decisions. And no 12 year old or, ethen, i would argue, 15 year old, or 16 year old will ever be able to do it on their own. But that doesn't mean they don't need some guidance from you at that point. There are many ways in which we can help our children - interpersonally and socially -- become better people.