Your teen wins as soon as you raise your voice, they are looking for conflict.
Your rules should always be...
Ask first
Tell second
Punish third
Ask them to do something, if no reaction, then tell them, if no reaction punish them, never raise your voice or argue with them as you are the parent.
Trust me not easy but it works
Chris
CuttedUpPear
Mon 28-Jan-13 17:54:32
You had four teens?
Really....?

And what brings you to these pages Chris?
Ask first
No reaction-total ban on all electrical gadgets for a week. Sorted.
CuttedUpPear
Mon 28-Jan-13 17:55:55
And what would your recommended punishment be?
But Sparkling if you ban all their gadgets, they come out their rooms and make the lounge look untidy. 
MissMarplesThong
Mon 28-Jan-13 17:56:38
I agree with the not shouting bit as for my DS it either means he zones it out as white noise or he gets upset and ends up in tears. Other than that in my house it is:
tell politely (we are big on politeness)
repeat
repeat
repeat
repeat
DS is not badly behaved but he has the attention span of a fruit fly.
Ooh yes Foggles that's a good point. They lie all over my soft furnishings. 
I would like to know how to punish my teen when he doesn't do as he's asked then told?
I mean, really how do you punish a 19 year old man.
I do love the friendly nonjudgemental welcome one gets as a newbie
Lets hope i am not a mystery shopper lol
I will post my CV tomorrow if so requested
Nite nite
Chris
QOD
Mon 28-Jan-13 20:39:52
I like your first post being so patronising and your profile showing you have no kids ...
iclaudius
Mon 28-Jan-13 20:45:06
Mine have all won ... Weeps silently
MuchBrighterNow
Mon 28-Jan-13 20:50:48
what's the punishment Op ? ... Do you put the fear of god into them 
Sssshhhhhh!! OP's gone to bed.
<arf> at Mystery Shopper on MN though. 
ThePathanKhansWitch
Mon 28-Jan-13 20:56:58
I,ll be in my dotage by the time mine is a teenager.So happy about that Chris.
Chris, my teen doesn't look for conflict.
Is this some sort of malfunction?
I don't think punishing is the way forward. I prefer to let them learn the consequences of their actions organically.
And I really don't think parenting is about winning and losing. My DC, DH and I are a team.
My 11 year old looks for conflict. Does that count?
Mrscupcake23
Mon 28-Jan-13 21:36:29
That's solved then let's ask mumsnet to close the teenage thread.
fackinell
Mon 28-Jan-13 21:37:35
My Auntie had fantastic ways of controlling her teenage daughter's tantrums. My favourite: if she acted up in public my auntie would threaten to dance, and did so....in Safeways!!
Never needed to again though.
fackinell - I used to threaten to turn up at the school on rollerblades.

fackinell
Mon 28-Jan-13 21:48:37
Foggles!! Would you have done it?
usualsuspect
Mon 28-Jan-13 21:52:50
It's not about winning.I never wanted to win as parent.