The real mission for parents is to raise their children toward responsible adulthood. No challenge is more important than this, and so great parents emerge in family life as real leaders. How do fathers and mothers lead their children effectively? To form a picture of parental leadership, let's look at the characteristics of leaders and see how parents fit the profile of leadership in family life.
My son and daughter, ages eight and five, seem to be having a contest over who can tattle on the other more. I'm at the point where I don't want to hear another accusation of any kind. How can I end this constant tattling? Tattle Weary
A successful father exercises leadership at home as much as on the job and in roughly the same ways.
Continually mouthing the same appeal or threat, whether changing your words a little or a lot, does little to gain a child's attention or cooperation.
Authoritative communities are groups that live out the types of connectedness that our children increasingly lack. They are groups of people who are committed to one another over time and who model and pass on at least part of what it means to be a good person and live a good life. Renewing and building them is the key to improving the lives of children and adolescents.
My mother was a quiet, pious, fundamentalist lady who loved to read her Bible and go to prayer meetings. She was kind and generous, and had a hug for everyone. Mom only had one annoying habit. She scolded the television.
Dr. Ray, My kids won't do anything I ask unless I yell. And they won't stop doing anything unless I yell some more. I'm getting louder by the day. - Old Yeller
The children's classic "The Hobbit" was written by a Catholic father for his children. From that first book J.R.R. Tolkien went on to write the most popular book of the twentieth century, "The Lord of the Rings".
How important do you think it is for children to help around the house? And how can I get my kids to do more? Sometimes it's easier on my nerves if I just do the chores myself.
Here are some basic ideas about the parents' role of moral leadership in the family, often referred to as "discipline."
