Be the Parent You Wish You Had

Book excerpt: The big & little creatures we call our kids can be our greatest sources for fun or our most fierce foes. They are in our care for nearly two decades, and no two days are the same. When we were kids, we fantasized about our dream parents. Now maybe we can become the parent we always wanted to have. What experience are your kids having with you as their parent? Put yourself in your kids' shoes. Imagine walking in their footsteps. See yourself through their eyes. If all the parents you know were lined up, would you have chosen yourself as a parent? I've been an educator for three decades. Along the way, I've met thousands of families. And much to my distress, too many parents view their children as problems to be solved rather than as sources of joy and pleasure. How can we change this up? How can we make those two decades of nearly full-time parenthood super fun? All parents need is a positive mindset and a bag of tricks in their repertoire. After thirty years in education as a teacher, dean, admissions director, mentor, school muralist, and parent advisor as well as twenty years as a parent, I would like to share some good stuff that works.