Rules of Parenting : A Personal Code for Raising Happy Confident Children

by Templar, Richard

• ISBN13: 9780137132591
• ISBN10: 013713259X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-02-22
• Publisher: Ft Pr

Summary

There are lots of wrong ways to bring up your kids, but there are lots of right ones, too. There's no list of instructions you have to follow to the letter if you don't want your child to end up a loser. This book presents the principles to follow which you can adapt to suit you and your children. Beginning with the first rule "Relax" and continuing through 100 rules, this book presents a guide to everything a parent needs to know from toddling, school, boyfriends or girlfriends, through driving lessons and college. The book begins with a section that covers the most important rules, The Rules for Staying Sane. The rest of the sections cover the some of the big questions of parenting, including the Attitude Rules, the Discipline Rules, the Sibling Rules, the School Rules, the Teenage Rules, the Crisis Rules, all the way up to the Grown-up Rules.

Author Biography

Richard Templar is the author of international bestsellers The Rules of Money, The Rules of Work and The Rules of Management.

Excerpts

Introduction IntroductionNothing can prepare you for being a parent. It tests your stamina, your nerves, your emotions and at times even your sanity. You start out fretting over how to change a diaper or bathe the baby without drowning it, and before long you discover that's the least of your challenges. And just when you think you have one phase of childhood solved, they grow a bit older and it's a whole new scenario. Walking, school, boyfriends or girlfriends, driving lessons-it never stops. Luckily the rewards are huge-the fun, the hugs, and the closeness. Even the thanks eventually, if you're very lucky. And, of course, the pleasure of seeing them grow into the kind of person you can be proud of.Along the way there's sure to be plenty of frustration, angst, bewilderment, and soul-searching as you look for the right things to say and do that will set your child on the road to growing up into a happy, well-balanced adult. And that's what this book is about.The path you're now treading is well worn-millions of people have been parents before you, and by trial and error, some of them have worked a few things out that might just be useful to you now. I've been through the parenting cycle twice. I've had two families spread over a total of nearly 30 years. That means I've had the chance to make most of the classic mistakes several times. But it also means that, through my friends and my children's friends, I've had the chance to watch and observe other families in action and see how other parents behave. It's an endlessly fascinating study.Some parents seem to know instinctively how to handle every situation. Others get some things wrong but have excellent ways of dealing with certain issues. If you study other parents long enough, as I have, you begin to spot patterns-tactics, techniques and principles of behavior that get the best out of children and that can be adapted whatever the personality of the child. It's those attitudes and principles that have been distilled into theRules of Parenting, to guide you through the tough times, help you bring your child up to be all they can be, and improve the relationship between you for life.TheRules of Parentingaren't intended to be a revelation-they are a reminder. Many are common sense, but it's easy to lose sight of them when you with a two year old having a tantrum or a teenager who thinks the world and everything in it exists solely for his benefit. So even the seemingly obvious ones are worth putting in front of you again. After all, it's an important job to get right.One hundred Rules might seem like a lot at first glance. But then, 18 years is a long contract for a job. More than 18 if you have more than one child.* You need to get your kids through weaning, diapers, learning to talk, the three Rs, school, friends, and sex, drugs, and rock-'n-roll. Actually, 100 Rules isn't much at all.It seems clear to me how you can tell a good parent. You just have to look at their children. Some kids go through bad patches for a while for all sorts of reasons, many of which you really can't pin on the parents, but I've found that after they leave home, you can see what kind of a job their parents did. And I figure the parents whose kids can look after themselves, to enjoy life and to make those around them happy, to be caring and kind, and to stand up for what they believe in-those parents are the ones who are getting it right. And over the years, I've seen what kind of parenting produces those kind of adults 18 years on.When you think about the huge responsibility you have as a parent, it can stop you in your tracks and take your breath a