The bottom line today is that many kids believe they have as much power in their families as the adults have. They often feel they should have an equal say in family decisions and get what they want on their own terms. This can lead to children asserting themselves in ways that would have been unheard of in our parents’ generation.

Young people do not always make the best decisions. Whether it’s sending inappropriate selfies or threatening to report parents who try to assert their authority to the police, kids today often feel empowered to be in charge of their own lives long before they may be developmentally ready to do so. The problem is, that when children are raised in an environment where parents don’t assert their authority, children can get a sense of power and control in their lives that they’re not yet ready to have.

This is not to say that children should not be consulted about things that affect them. However, there is a big difference between discussing the situation with a child so they have an understanding of the situation, as opposed to needing the........

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