Question
How do we deal with passive aggressive behavior in an older teen? She will verbally comply with a request but then not follow through like "bring the trash down when you head downstairs," or "come on down for dinner." It makes what should be a normal day very trying. Other times we get the classic, "Oh, you meant now?" then she flashes a fake smile. Then there is the response of doing something half-you-know-what like emptying the dishwasher but piling everything on the kitchen counter. When called down to complete the task, she turns the tables, accusing us of being perfectionistic. Her latest tool in the passive aggressive kit is reading text messages that show as "read" then waiting 90 minutes to two hours to respond even it it's something positive like our saying the concert sounded great and we'd love to see a picture.
