I'll have to first say that I am by no means as experienced as some of the parents who have already said things here, since my son is still a baby.
However, what worked for me and what I would recommend is exposing him to the concept of consequences outside of the relatively minor and temporary consequences that he experiences at his age.
Being exposed to and talking to people who were suffering extreme and permanent consequences because of years of escalating bad decisions made a huge impact on me. It's kind of like I was living in a bubble where since my consequences were so minor my bad decisions seemed minor.
Having people (outside of my parents) who were living with bad consequences be honest with me about how they got there, and recognizing that their first steps kind of mirrored mine got me thinking big picture.
Equally important, having people who were living with great consequences and the type of life that I wanted telling me what they were doing at my age was a motivation.
I'll be praying for you all and I am so convinced that your wife and you are such great parents that I know he will be fine.
Linear Mode
