Plot

Ally is disobeying Ray and Debra. Not doing what she's told to do. Always in a bad mood. Ray tries to find out why.

When Ally starts acting up, Ray and Debra have a difficult time disciplining her because she doesn't want to listen to her parents. Fed up with her, Ray says she can't watch TV. Then Ally has a fit. The next day, Debra finds a brochure advertising a parenting class. It's called "Parent Effectiveness Training. Coping with your child's behavioral challenges." Ray is reluctant to go, but Debra drags him along anyway. While at the class, they learn about "Active Listening". They learn to encourage Ally to express herself verbally without influencing her with their own preconceived notions or opinions. To demonstrate to the class, Ray is recruited to role-play with the instructor, Celia. Back at home, Debra tries these new tactics on Ally...as well as Ray. But they don't seem to work for her. But, while at his parents house, Ray uses the stuff he learned from the class to resolve an argument between his parents. And, amazingly, it worked. So he races back over to his own house to find Debra disciplining Ally because she destroyed one of the twins' stuffed animals. Ray immediately jumps in to use his new-found talent. Eventually, Ally says she wants to fix the toy for Michael.

Ally is having trouble listening and is becoming very stubborn. Debra asks her multiple times to remove all her dolls from the dinner table and to wash her hands, but Ally simply ignores Debra. Debra bans her from dessert, but retorts that she doesn't want any dessert. Debra asks Ray to handle Ally. Marie tries to intervene and tries to bribe Ally with candy to motivate her to clean up, but Ray stops her. Marie gives Ally the candy, and yet Ally refuses to clean up the table. Marie blames Debra for Ally's attitude. Ray bans her TV for a week but that just drives Debra nuts. Marie is upset with Ray for yelling at Ally in front of other people as she believes that can be very humiliating. Debra has no other ideas on how to discipline Ally. So, Ray and Debra take a parenting class.

Ray makes fun of the class and the insights that the teacher is giving them on parenting and disciplining kids. Debra discusses Ally's problem with the teacher and Ray counters her saying that it is just a phase. The teacher calls out Debra and Ray for using threats to discipline the kids and gives them extra exercises to do at home to practice active listening. The teacher asks Ray to do a role play with her. Ray does his usual thing and tries to use guilt as a tactic to get what he wants. When that does not work, Ray resorts to threats as a means of discipline.

Debra wants to practice her listening skills with Ray, but Ray won't take the homework seriously and simply acts like a jerk. Ray won't cooperate with Debra, and she starts crying as she thinks she is a bad parent.

Debra finds it difficult to use the active listening technique that she and Ray learned in the parenting class on Ally. Debra feels that she is flunking the class. Ray wants Debra to use her tears to convince Ally to do what she wants.

Ray succeeds with active listening when he tries it on Marie and Frank. They were having a big fight over Frank misplacing tax refund checks and Frank not feeling appreciated from Marie. Ray uses his active listening techniques to get them to talk to each other and resolve their differences and appreciate each other.

Debra is yelling at Ally for tearing up Michael's giraffe when Ray walks in from the front door. Ray figures out that Ally tore up Michael's (Sullivan Sweeten) giraffe as it used to be her giraffe. And she also feels that she is being neglected as Michael and Geoffrey (Sawyer Sweeten) get all the attention now. Ally agrees with Ray. She says that she wants the giraffe, and she wants to fix it back up for Michael. Ray is smug, but Debra won't give him any credit as she was the one who dragged Ray to the parenting class.

But the next time he uses the technique, Marie decides to stay the night at Ray's. Ray tells Marie that she cannot watch any TV while she is over at his place.