Mom Q&A: Enforcing the Rules

Welcome to "Moms Talk," a weekly Patch feature designed to reach out to moms and families. Franklin Lakes Patch invites you and your circle of friends to help build a community of support for mothers and their families right here in Franklin Lakes.

Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of experts and smart moms take your questions, give advice and share solutions.

Moms, dads, grandparents and the families who make up our community will have a new resource for questions about local neighborhood schools, the best pediatricians, 24-hour pharmacies and the thousands of other issues that arise while raising children.

Moms Talk will also be the place to drop in for a talk about the latest parenting hot topic. So grab a cup of coffee and settle in as we start the conversation:

In this morning's Mom Patch, Julia Chiang talked about being raised by a Tiger Mom. Though she and her husband aren't nearly as strict as their parents were (and their parents weren't as strict as other parents in the neighborhood), she still has rules and she expects them to be followed. 

My question for Julia — for all moms really — is HOW? How do you enforce the rules in your house? It's all well and good to say, these are the rules, but if rules aren't followed — and face it most kids don't want to follow the rules — what do you do about it? 

Do you bark out commands? Take away their cell phones? Bribe them? Ground them? What have you tried that works and what have you tried that didn't? 

Do you consider yourself strict? Too lenient? Have you found the mythological middle of road in parenting — and if so, what is that? Are your rules set in stone or are you flexible?

So, get talking: What are the rules in your house and how do you enforce them?