If adults speed in their cars and get caught, they get punished, but for some reason people do not like to use the word punishment in connection with child-rearing, he says.
Punishment here does not refer to punitive or physical reprimands, but stopping a teenager doing something they want to do or depriving them of materials, or their personal effects - use of their cellphone, for instance.
Parents need to be unafraid to take charge and know that teenagers want them as parents, not friends, Mr Latta says.
They do need to be prepared to negotiate, though - teenagers cannot be picked up and put in their rooms if they do not co-operate.
Negotiations need to be fair and reasonable, but keep making decisions, Mr Latta says. Parents cannot be paralysed and give up making decisions.
That's not what teenagers want. They want parents to be parents.
"They don't want parents to go: 'It's too hard, I can't do it'."
