Parenting is a verb, more than a noun

Once you are a parent, you are always a parent: 24/7. Children are fully entitled to the attention of their parents and the child must be the parent's number one priority. That does not mean you have to spoil your child, buying it every new gadget around. It means you provide safety and security in a loving home.

Children need to make mistakes to grow up. As a parent, you should give it some sort of freedom, to let it experiment and get experienced in life. Sometimes you need to step back as a parent, even if you don't agree with the choices your children make. Because they are entitled to their own choices in life.

It's important that both parents get along well enough to agree over the education of the children. Children need stability and structure in their life. And beware: children mimic their parents! So if you feel your child is not behaving or acting disrespectful, try to look at yourself and try to discover where things went wrong. Happy parents make happy children.

Parenting takes a lot of work, but it can be the best job of a lifetime!