The Rules of a Better Parent-Child Relationship

The benefits of laying down the law(s)

If you're the parent of a teen, be a parent rather than a pal. Chances are, your teen will welcome your rules and expectations -- even if he grumbles about them under his breath.

Teens whose parents establish house rules have better relationships with their parents -- and a lower risk of smoking, drinking, and using drugs -- than the typical teen, according to a study conducted by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. The findings were part of the center's annual national teen substance abuse survey.

The study, which analyzed a hands-on versus a hands-off approach to parenting, found that teens living in hands-on environments have parents who monitor their children's TV and Internet use, know and restrict the CDs they buy, know where their teens are after school and on weekends, impose a curfew, eat dinner with their teens six or seven nights a week, and assign them chores, among other actions.

What's more, the survey found that 57 percent of teens with hands-on parents reported having an excellent relationship with their mothers and 47 percent reported an excellent relationship with their fathers. Only 24 percent of teens with hands-off parents reported an excellent relationship with their mothers and only 13 percent said they had an excellent relationship with their fathers.

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