My teen lied about curfew. Punishing her wasn't enough to fix the problem.

The author and her teenage daughter regularly fought over her curfew.

Courtesy of the author My daughter's new independence led to constant arguments about curfew.

Being stricter wasn't working, but I wasn't comfortable simply giving in.

We compromised on a later curfew in exchange for honesty and location sharing.

My daughter finished her freshman year of high school , and it was not an easy year for either of us.

It brought changes to friendships, homework, and our rules and boundaries, which meant we had to rewrite rules we had already established.

Friends who were once fixtures in our home no longer came over.

It has been a revolving door of new people.

Some stick around while others fade away based on common interests , such as shared classes and sports.

I understood that my kid was simply doing what all kids do when they transition from one phase of life to another, testing the waters by operating outside her comfort zone .

While it is necessary, it is difficult to watch, especially as a parent.

I don't want to be too strict or too much of a pushover While I knew new freedoms demanded new rules, I've always believed that being extremely strict creates issues.

I've done my best to walk the line between being overly stern and too permissive.

To get through this milestone, I knew I had to be careful.