I should have learned this lesson a long time ago. As a little league coach for five years, I would cringe when a father criticized his son for his baseball play. I knew the boy was trying hard to hit, catch, or throw the ball accurately. The critical remarks of the father made the boy more tense and less likely to play graceful baseball. An important difference between successful and unsuccessful parents is that successful parents keep destructive names and destructive comments to themselves.
Successful parents resist the temptation to shoot from the hip.
Successful parents do discipline regularly, firmly, and emphatically. Successful parents are strong enough to discipline squarely and then find the good, true, and beautiful in their children. Most of all, successful parents let their children know they are exceedingly desired and desirable. We parents learn slowly. We need to be persistent, vigilant, and very gentle with our children and ourselves.