A Day at the Caregiver's Desk...

So today I decided to take on this whole caregiver role with my partner again. It's funny how quickly it can turn from playing the dutiful little one to being in charge of discipline and rules... We went through some pretty explicit scenarios, more than I've been comfortable with before. But you know what they say about boundaries, sometimes they need pushing... Now here's where I'm stuck: is this just a phase? Or should we be looking into something more structured long-term? And if so, how the hell do you plan for that? Anyone got advice or experience to share...?