The hardest thing for parents to do is to give enough room for their children to make mistakes. And, without mistakes they can never learn.
Teaching is parenting and parenting is teaching.
Teaching is parenting because you must make sure your students learn the lesson. It is not enough to give the lesson, as it is not enough to tell your child what to do. You must make sure that not only do they do it, but also that they do it right.
You suffer because you love your child and you don’t want someone you love to hurt, but it is through the pain and suffering, lessons are learned. So if you love your child, then you must give them strength and courage to endure through the pain and suffering, which is an unavoidable consequence of living.
You cannot avoid the negative consequences of making a mistake; so reprimand the mistake, but don’t reprimand the person.
You can evaluate a country from the way it treats the old and the weak. As you can determine a man by the way he treats his children and the helpless.
A “yes” is a yes, a “no” is a no, and the two should never mix.
First you must know white and black, then you can mix them to have different shades of gray. You cannot first have gray, then expect to extract black and white from it.
If your heart is not shattered ten thousand times, then you have not taught hard enough.
Keep your promises as you also keep your threats. If you cannot keep your threats, then you should never make them.
When you want to be your child’s friend, ask yourself this question: does your child need another friend or a parent?
Don’t nag; discipline!
Lead by example.
Don’t get upset when your child makes a mistake. Every time they do, is another opportunity for you to teach them.
Never assume; make sure to explain why something is right and wrong. More importantly, make sure they understand.
Receiving compliments are easy; it’s dealing with criticism that needs to be taught.
Expect more if you want your child to do more or be more.
There’s no such thing as an Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD)! That’s the nature of being a child, full of energy and full of wonder.
Don’t allow them to quit what they already started; make sure they finish what they start.
Don’t fight their fights for them. Help them to fight their own battles.
Hold them accountable for what they do and say, but make sure you do the same for yourself.
Teach responsibility by giving and sharing responsibilities and not necessarily paying them to do chores. They should learn the difference between fulfilling a duty and doing a job for money.
Be careful what you say. Don’t blame others for your problems, if you don’t want them to blame you for theirs.
There’s nothing to be learned by winning, only more ego; there’s lots to learn in losing. But, make sure to be there for them to pick them back up when they fall.
Don’t compare them to other children. Rather, praise them on their uniqueness.
Don’t medicate! Don’t create dependencies. Only the drug companies win.
Control your neediness if you want them to stop being needy.
Do not argue between yourself and your spouse in front of your kids, especially in matters that concern them.