Philosophy

This is a quick. I have work to do.

A parent's role:

1) assure the physical and mental health of the children
2) prepare the child to be a morally ground productive citizens as an adult
3) equip the child with knowledge and experiences that will provide them as adult, as many opportunities and choices as possible. Career, sociological, financial etc.

The first 2 priorities are generally performed on a day to day basis through love, attention, nurturing and living as a role model. I can't see any way around it.

The third priority is tricky.

In short I believe a parent should "push" each child to the best of their abilities. Not just in sports or Academically but in every thing they do day in and day out. Even cleaning the toilet. Expect the child to do his/her best. Expect less and you will get less. Does this mean every child should be expected to get straight A's in school? No. Does this mean every child should be a star player on the soccer or football team no. But it does mean that if a child has chosen a sport or activity, the parents should expect that child to do the best they can. You might say who cares, it is a recreational league, for fun. Kids need down time. Granted. But If it is worth doing at all it is worth doing as well as you can, or at least trying. This attitude is a learned behavior in my book. It build character, attention to detail, respect for others abilities... AND I cannot think of any activity that is not more fun/enjoyable the better you get. Should the kid stress out if they cannot throw a Frisbee 100 yards. No. Are they trying? Yes? Cool. A success.

Another example. My kids, traditionally are not strong in English for instance. Sometimes they do not have A's. Do I ground them or take away computer if they come home with a 'D'. Maybe. If I know they did the best they could I really cannot get too excited but I can try to remove obstacles (like a computer) that may prevent them from doing better.

Why is all of this important? Well a child or teenager rarely knows exactly what they want to pursue as an adult. They generally have talents and interest that they just have not discovered yet. Some opportunities or vocations have not even been discovered yet. So a child may say. I do not plan on being a soccer star so why should I work so hard at it? Well ya never know. I don't have interest in going to a to college, why should I take challenging classes.... To do less than your best, in affect, closes doors in the future. Doors that you may not now know even exist. It's a hard thing for most kids to understand.