I think our jobs as parents is to raise our children with empathy - to figure out who this little character is, almost from birth, and then guide them to fulfill their best potential.
Where love exists with self-respect and joy, where a fine environment is provided for the child, where the parents live under conditions that neither stunt the imagination nor let it run to uncontrolled fantasy, there you have the family that modern men are seeking to create.
The cliches are all true! My son Max has just turned two, and he's literally turned into this driven young man overnight! The terrible twos are not a myth, but he's such a laugh to be around.
We just need more father figures and more older people to come and school these youth, because there will be a lost generation. And that's what a gang's supposed to be, protecting family and doing what you've got to do for your loved ones.
I would never hold my children back from that. I would never want them to resent me for holding them back from their father's wedding.
My dad kept me away from people who treat children wrong. It's just amazing that there is such a way to raise a person without giving them complexes. But nobody does it. They think it should be the old school. But look at the products. Wouldn't it be great if you could avoid the complexes? Then you could deal with the complexes of life.
Caring for children has always been one of the deepest and most satisfying things that a human being does, and yet it is hard to keep a healthy attitude toward it in our competitive, outcome-oriented society.
There's a whole bunch of other young parents that are just like me. I need to be a great example.
I know that many people disagree with the way I disciplined my child. I also understand after meeting with a psychologist that there are other alternative ways of disciplining a child that may be more appropriate.
Want to raise children who will be happy adults? Teach them not to whine.
My parents never discouraged me. There were a couple times when my dad criticized a couple things that I did, but it was nothing. So through the bad shows, I never wanted to quit.
My dad was a great movie companion. He wouldn't diminish 'The Jerk.' If I liked it, he liked it. He could see it through my eyes.
I grew up in a house where my father encouraged my brother and me to fail. I specifically remember coming home and saying, 'Dad, Dad, I tried out for this or that and I was horrible,' and he would high-five me and say, 'Way to go.'
There is no place for fear. Stay informed, but also be smart enough to decipher what is noise and what is real. Always remembering that love can cast out all hate. I have made a commitment to teach my son love, self-respect, the way of the world and boundaries.
Luckily, I had incredible parents who, when they saw a problem, didn't say, "Why doesn't somebody do something?" They would say, "Why don't we do something?".
I have really dope parents.
My parents were great at making sure I got out of bed when I needed to play football on a Sunday morning and that I was ready after school to go to training on a Tuesday and Thursday. But it was never forced upon me or rammed down my throat. If it had been, I could have ended up hating sport.
It's better to build a peaceful child than re-build a violent adult.
My parents divorced when I was young but I was brought up in two really loving households. I didn't have a contentious relationship with my mom or dad.
My father died when I was nine, but I came from a stable family environment, which I think does contribute to being well-behaved.
My parents are so cool, so chill, super hip. They know what's up.
One of my favourite parts of training is doing it with Dad in the local nets. When I do that, I feel like a kid again. We never argue. He has to put up with some bad moods from me when I'm not hitting it as I'd like. He's very placid. He's not a pushy parent at all.
I was lucky enough to be with my parents until I was 14. Having my parents tell me that I could do anything. I was special. I matter.
But there's no substitute for a full-time dad. Dads who are fully engaged with their kids overwhelmingly tend to produce children who believe in themselves and live full lives.
My father was very encouraging.
