I believe there is no one way to parent. We are all different people with different family circumstances. In regards to good parenting, I think many of us agree that there are many roads that lead to Rome. So, I’m not going to try to tell you what you have to do or how you have to do it as a parent. I’m just going to give you three more tips to add to your arsenal of parenting strategies.

First, I want to point out that there is no such thing as quality time when it comes to effective parenting. Either you’re there for your children or you’re not. And I can certainly tell you that our kids want us to be there for them way more than they want us off saving the world somewhere else and only briefly popping into their lives in a whirlwind.

Another great tip to parenting is to build a strong food culture within your family. Countries like Italy and France that have strong food cultures also have strong family bonds. In other words, share a meal together and make it a family tradition. Now, I’m not saying to overindulge to the point where you all become unhealthy. I’m just saying that a family that breaks bread together tends to stay together.

Next, sometimes it’s easier to parent other children than our own. We’ve all had one of our kid’s friends over, and the friend was more polite and helpful than our own. This doesn’t mean our kids are lacking something. It’s just natural for our kids to put themselves on auto-pilot when they are around us and their friends, who don’t really know us, to be on their best behaviors when around us.

Now, as my Granddaddy always said, “Go learn, lead, and lay the way to a better world for all of us.” Feel free to use these three parenting tips anytime you want to add some more options to your parenting strategies. And once again parents, thanks in advance for all that you do, and all that you will do…