Q. My 15-year-old daughter's grades have dropped this year, and I have taken away most of her privileges. But she spends a few nights a week at her dad's, and he will not follow through with any punishment I levy. I feel like anything I do to try and discipline her is meaningless. Do you have any suggestions?
A. I reserve the right to respond to certain questions, thus: "This is not something you're going to be able to solve; therefore, you're just going to have to muddle through it as best you can."
You need to accept that in this imperfect situation, the effectiveness of your discipline is limited. I'm not saying that you should not give up the good fight. But when you ground your daughter, do so knowing that she is going to be set free when she's with her dad. Stay the course with humility and grace. There is some possibility that she will, as an adult, thank you for your efforts.