Great advice already....my suggestions with consequences is making them TOUGH but short (of course in proportion also). Long groundings are hard to stick with and kids may also lose motivation to change their behavior. With my ds6, he generally shapes up faster if he has one night of "lockdown" (ie: no electronics at all...very few other toy options...must complete several chores) for a big misbehavior vs a week of no tv or computer. These days, kids have so many alternatives for entertainment that they don't usually miss just one or two things. Our "no electronics" includes anything with batteries or a cord, not just computer/tv/handheld games.
Love transforming the difficult child also.
