Tony Dungy Quotes

I do discuss things with him, but as a father, not a friend.

As a parent I fail because my son does not take me seriously.

In order to influence a child, one must be careful not to be that child's parent or grandparent.

Parents should have perfect control over their own spirits, and with mildness and yet firmness bend the will of the child until it shall expect nothing else but to yield to their wishes.

The whole concept of 'grounding' children is utterly stupid - they just go off and rebel and don't like you. When my kids eventually come along, I don't want them to not like me.

It's very important that we instill some respect for the parents. In America especially, the kids are unruly, screaming at Mommy and Daddy, running the show.

Once you've raised a child to adulthood, you can only be as demanding as your offspring allow.

Treat your kid like a darling for the first five years. For the next five years, scold them. By the time they turn sixteen, treat them like a friend. Your grown up children are your best friends.

A child who is allowed to be disrespectful to his parents will not have true respect for anyone.

I wish my kid would act like my dog sometimes. My dog listens to me and does what I tell him to do.

When you give directives to a child, especially a teenager, you must consider the nature of your child.

I'm a believer in the parent first, friend second philosophy, and trying to find that balance.

You can instill fear in your kids and get them to mind, but they won't function better in the world and your relationship will suffer greatly.

Your children don't have to fear you to respect you.

Even though your kids will consistently do the exact opposite of what you're telling them to do, you have to keep loving them just as much.

I've always respected the authority figures in my life, including my coaches.

We have a nanny in the house, but there are always times when one of my kids does something bad or wrong, and they'll listen to me more than they do the nanny. So I think it's important to set up that boundary of respect for them at a young age, so they will know, 'I better listen to Mommy.'

I say to my kids all the time - and this is absolutely true - I always say, 'Who's the boss?' and they go, 'You are.'

I do not raise brats!

My father gave me discipline.

You don't lead by hitting people over the head - that's assault, not leadership.

It's got too much hard work slapping them and telling them to shut up.

We love the precepts for the teacher's sake.

There wasn't a lot of discipline in my life, and I hated it being imposed on me at school.

For me, the battle is finding the balance between wanting to spend time with my boys and then having enough perspective to still be the disciplinarian and, like, not be in the best friend business.