It is important for parents to insist that children do what they are supposed to do, when and how the parent expects it to be done.
Parents have the strength, motivation and power to outlast their children in arguments and enforce the rules you think are important for nurturing your child.
Remember that you were their age once and they have never been your age.
If a child skirts a responsibility early in life, it becomes a natural reaction to obstacles in the future.
Each time an excuse replaces responsibility, a brick is placed in the wall between the child and success.
If parents allow their children to undermine their authority and only do what they feel like doing, they are going to fall short in the real world.
Bosses are not as easily persuaded as mom or dad.
Parents must establish habits and basic structures that children can follow so they know what's right, what's wrong, what's expected, and the potential outcome.
Children are looking to their parents to be the guide on what is correct behavior.
The more parents let their children get away with, the more they will push their limits.
It is the same way in early life as it is when teenagers reach their rebellious stage.
This rebellion is a way they have of looking to their parents for guidance.
It is the job of a parent to watch that rebellion closely and rein it in whenever you deem it to be overreaching.
Don't quit on your kids by letting them have their way.
Getting kids to stick to basic rules lets them know who the parent is and who the child is, a distinction that may seem obvious on the surface but can sometimes become very blurred.
You know what is good for your kids better than they do.
You need to make sure your children know that with anything in life, quitting is not an option.
Quitting sets the child up for a lifetime of letting emotions get in the way of achievement.
If they quit any time something gets too difficult, they will never reach their full potential.
Insist that your child work hard, even on the most difficult of tasks.
They can surprise themselves and exceed their own expectations if they stick to it.
Though it may not seem like it when they whine and complain, letting them quit will not help them.
It only teaches them that it is okay not to follow through on their commitments.
Kids don't always understand the advantages of persevering in something they do not want to do, because there is no instant gratification.
They can not see how discipline and persistence will pay off in the long run because they are only concerned with the here and now.
It is your job as a parent to keep their future in mind make them do what is best for them, even if they do not want to.
For example, no one will remember 20 years from now if your child fails a test in the fifth grade.
It has no immediate effect on his or her character, and may not seem like a big deal, even at present.
But by letting your child scrape by without putting their best effort forward is a big deal and will affect them 20 years from now.
Teaching the value of hard work now will only pay off later in life.
Remember the things you have learned through experience and pass them on to your children.
They may not always listen to you, but it is your job to make sure that the lesson is learned, even if it is learned the hard way.