The Seven Commandments of Parenting

As a parent, i read books on parenting from time to time. All the while i thought it's good to be your kids' buddy but just learned that it also has its disadvantages. Here's one of those that i've read and i want to share with you guys.

Here's what parents should do to raise confident, responsible children:

1) Be a parent, not a pal. Stop thinking you're supposed to be your child's friend. Being a parent means setting limits and making rules.

2) Discipline early. Most experts warn not to give in to the kid who says, "I'll pick up my toys if you take me to get ice cream." That puts the child in control, rather than the parent.

3) Spend time with your kids. Teens appreciate quality time but it can't replace availability.

4) Control the electronics. Children should not watch more than two hours of TV a day - and only shows monitored by parents.

5) Know what your child is up to.

6) Don't get carried away with "self-esteem". If you protect them too much, they'll never develop the ability to overcome problems.

7) Stay married. All this advice given by the experts - spending time with your kids, supervising television, monitoring their whereabouts - becomes much easier when there are two adults in the household.