College

My parents are both college professors, and it made me want to question authority, standards and traditions.

~ Maya Lin

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Once upon a time, Maddie got in trouble for texting when she'd been told not to. When confronted, I talked with her about integrity and responsibility and trust. I tried to stress how important it is to maintain your reputation and convey a sense of honesty to others and how she had compromised that by her actions. My sanction was for her to lose her phone for a week.

Chris talked with her about her feelings and thoughts. The learning activity Chris came up with for Maddie was to journal every night for a week. It could be about the situation or her feelings toward us and how we handled the event or about what had happened that day -- whatever she wanted.

And that is what it's like to get in trouble when you live with one adult who is in judicial affairs and another with a counseling background. It must stink to be held accountable AND have to deal with how you feel about being held accountable.

Poor kid.