another thing i have learned and im sure a few others here have learned also is to just listen to your parents and do what they want without to much bickering and in the long run things will work out in your favor too. i used to be a pain in the ass to my parents (i used to be restricted from playing on the computer and on live. i hated that shit) but after a while i figured out if i do what they say, they seemed to care less after an amount of time and also they trusted me more and were nicer.
i bought my mom this thing from kirklands last year, its hanging in the kitchen. it says "if momma aint happy, aint nobody happy." sad but true.