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Okay, we've got Katie's project, Dan's bake sale, Emma has a test tomorrow? Uh, sweetie, I'm out of my blood pressure, man. Managing the house while Mama's gone is not easy. But did you know that now, Walmart Pharmacy has prescription delivery straight to your door? Wait, what? Really? Yep, just upload your prescription to the Walmart app and keep doing your thing. We'll bring your groceries and prescriptions all in one bag and straight to your door. Thanks. Dad, when does Mom come back? In 38 hours and 47 minutes. Okay.
Now, your pharmacy comes to you. Welcome to your Walmart. Delivery not available for all prescriptions. Exclusions apply. Thanks for listening to my Call of the Day podcast. You can hear my live radio program Monday through Friday from 2 to 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Sirius XM Triumph 111. Amy, welcome to the program. Hi, Dr. Laura. Thank you so much for taking my call. I really appreciate your wisdom, your perspective. Thank you.
And just to put this little dilemma in front of you. Thank you. Okay. So I am 54. I've been married 28 years. I have three kids. Two of them are basically grown and flown, working or once in grad school. And then I have a high schooler, junior son who's 17. Okay.
And he's a well-adjusted kid. He's a happy kid. If anything, maybe he's a little too happy-go-lucky, which is one of his positives. But also, I guess maybe one of the things that's challenging for me as his mom is I keep trying to adapt to each kid and what's working for them. I don't think I'm getting it done with him in terms of... What makes you think that? Um...
So I guess he gets very frustrated with me when I get frustrated with him. Oh, okay. You get frustrated with him. Woo-hoo! Finally did it today. I've been waiting all day to do that. So give me an example of what you'd be frustrated with. I mean, I have no idea how any mother could find a 17-year-old boy frustrating. Sorry, I was trying to keep a straight face. I know.
All right, tell me how he frustrates you. Go ahead. Well, probably anyone listening could list a long list of these things. The things about him in particular is that once...
Once I have an agenda of things I want to cover with him or I want him to do or I want him to respond to, and it's not just a, you know, catch up what happened today and so forth. A lot of times at dinner. Give me one example clean from all the general descriptiveness. Give me an example. Okay. I'm already nervous with your agenda. 17-year-old boys, don't father, don't follow mommy's agendas. Yes.
Okay. They don't. So immediately you have set up something that doesn't work. He's growing into a man. Catering to mom is a little counterproductive. That's why at this age, dads are usually a little more effective. So give me an example of your agenda point. Just one juicy one. Oh, a juicy one. Oh, goodness. Okay. I have some examples. I'm looking for the juiciest one.
Oh, that's okay. Semi-juicy is all right. Okay, semi-juicy. If I suggest to him, you know, you're going to be off school this week for spring break, and so these are just some things you could do while you're
while you have your free time. You need to send a couple of emails about XYZ because he's also trying to... Oh my God. If I was your daughter, I would have a fit over that. I'm closing in on my time off and my mother is telling me all the little petty things she wants me to do. Wrong approach. No. No. Okay. No. You have to stop doing that. He's a 17-year-old boy. Did I mention that? No. No.
Okay, we've got Katie's projects, Dan's bake sale, Emma has a test tomorrow? Uh, sweetie, I'm out of my blood pressure meds. Managing the house while Mama's gone is not easy. But did you know that now, Walmart Pharmacy has prescription delivery straight to your door? Wait, what? Really? Yep, just upload your prescription to the Walmart app and keep doing your thing. We'll bring your groceries and prescriptions all in one bag and straight to your door. Thanks. Dad, when does Mom come back?
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Well, he has no urgency to do anything I ask him to do. You know, I'm getting bored repeating myself. 17-year-old boy, your expectations, I think, are not reasonable. If there's something specific, then I would get in his face and I would say, sweetie, I realize you're off next week and going to want to have all kinds of fun and relax. But on Tuesday, I would really appreciate if you dug up
all the weeds in that 10 by 10 square. So which part of the day would you like to do it in? Morning or afternoon? I would pick one thing that I thought I really believe this was something he should be responsible for, good for his character, good for the family, and announce that you realize this is his time off and it's going to be great, relaxing from all the school stuff.
However, on Tuesday, I need you to do this. I want you to do this. I'm counting on you to do this. That's better. I'm counting on you to do this. Do you want to do it in the morning or the afternoon? And so his decision, therefore, is not if, it's when. I like that. The close ended, it automatically gets him in agreement because he has to pick one or the other. Yeah, you pick it, sweetie.
Tell you what, hon, if you pick the morning, we can go out for pizza for lunch. You know? Enjoy your boy. He's almost gone. I really do get that. Can I ask one other little dynamic that I'm trying to tweak? Of course. But make sure I don't have to repeat that he's a 17-year-old boy. Okay, go ahead.
Okay, this is probably more particular to him. Okay, go ahead. He likes things fun. He likes things light. And I'm just, I get it and I am that way. But when he hears me go down, when I start to point something out, he will interrupt me. And then I feel like he's being just, I got it. Okay, give me an example because I don't know what that means. So give me an example. Okay.
So this is the reason that I asked you to do it. I got it, Mom. I got it. Okay, okay, okay. And he keeps interrupting so I can never actually complete the thought. Okay, stop. Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop. Okay. Stop. That was five or six stops. Come on. Okay. Tell me what you wanted to remind him and why. Okay.
It happens so many times. I could just call that him so many times. But tell me what you mean. You assume he's going to fail you after you've said Tuesday morning or afternoon. You don't remind him. And you can say to him today, you know, sometimes I nag you about stuff. Not going to do that anymore. I'm going to respect you. I'm going to respect your word as a man. You tell me you're going to do it. I'm not going to remind you. I'm going to respect your word. That's how you talk to a growing man.
You give him ideas about honor. You're just trying to control a kid. Ain't working. No, it's not. You're still raising him, but you're still controlling him. I know you're a jerk and you won't do it. Mom, I'll do it. I know you're a jerk and you won't do it. You might as well be saying that. And then afterwards, if perchance on one of these things that you've been direct about and only given him one at a time, please, he fails.
Then you stand in front of him and say, honey, I'm really disappointed. I need you to be a man of your word. And you just stare at him. And he's hearing man. He's hearing word. He's hearing disappointment. That's a very different dynamic, isn't it? It elevates it. Okay. I know you can handle this. Call me back. My number, 1-800-375-7000.
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Okay, we've got Katie's project, Dan's bake sale, Emma has a test tomorrow? Uh, sweetie, I'm out of my blood pressure, man. Managing the house while Mama's gone is not easy. But did you know that now, Walmart Pharmacy has prescription delivery straight to your door? Wait, what? Really? Yep, just upload your prescription to the Walmart app and keep doing your thing. We'll bring your groceries and prescriptions all in one bag and straight to your door. Thanks. Dad, when does Mom come back? In 38 hours and 47 minutes. Okay.
Now, your pharmacy comes to you. Welcome to your Walmart. Delivery not available for all prescriptions. Exclusions apply.