“Why can’t you just back me up?”

It’s 10:00 pm, and your daughter is still in her room on her phone.

“Your phone needs to be in the kitchen. Now!”

“I know!”

Ten minutes later, she still has it.

“Come on! Your phone.”

“I said I’ll do it!”

And then your husband says:

“It’s fine. Just let her keep it.”

Seriously?

You already told her to put her phone in the kitchen.

Now he’s telling her she can keep it.

And you think:

Why can’t you just back me up?

Because now it’s not even about the phone.

It’s that you said one thing, and he just told her something else.

And of course she’s going to listen to the answer she likes better.

Great. Now she knows she can just go around me.

Because somehow, the minute she doesn’t like your answer, it feels like your answer doesn’t matter anymore.

And now you think:

Are we not supposed to be on the same team here?
Why am I the only one saying no?

You’re annoyed with her.
You’re annoyed with him.

And now what are you supposed to do?

Let her keep the phone after you already said no?

Or argue with your husband about it in front of her?

Weren’t we supposed to be doing this together?

🧡 Jeanine

What’s the thing your teenager knows to ask the other parent about? 😂