The Rules of Parenting: A personal code for bringing up happy, confident children

Some parents make it all look easy. They always seem to know the right things to do and say, however tricky the situation. They have a seemingly instinctive ability to raise happy, confident, well-balanced children. Children who handle their emotions well, enjoy life, respect others, are decent and thoughtful and stand up for what they believe in.   Is there something these parents know that the rest of us don’t? Is it something we could learn? The answer is a resounding yes. They know The Rules of Parenting. The golden principles and behaviours that will guide you smoothly through the challenges of raising children.   This new edition contains 9 new rules to help you keep calm and in control, and put your children on the path to becoming successful independent adults.   You’ll get more out of being a parent. They’ll become all they can be.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Rules for staying sane 1. Relax 2. No one is perfect 3. Be content 4. Know what you’re good at 5. Almost any rule can be broken occasionally 6. Don’t try to do everything 7. You don’t have to follow every piece of advice you get (including this one) 8. It's normal to want to escape 9. You’re allowed to hide from your kids 10.   Parents are people too 11.   Don’t ignore your relationship with your partner   Attitude Rules 12.   Love is not enough 13.   Every recipe needs different ingredients  14.   Anything extreme is almost certainly wrong 15.   Look pleased to see them 16.   Treat your child with respect 17.   Enjoy their company 18.   It’s not about you – it’s about them 19.   Being tidy isn’t as important as you think  20.   Good parenting is calculated risk taking 21.   Keep your worries to yourself  22.   See things from their point of view 23.   Parenting is not a competitive sport 24.   Never emotionally blackmail them   Everyday Rules 25.   Let them get on with it  26.   Let them go (wild) 27.   Teach them to think for themselves 28.   Use praise wisely 29.   Make sure they know what’s important 30.   Show them how to lose 31.   Know the value of boundaries  32.   Bribery doesn't have to be bad 33.   Moods are catching 34.   You're setting their eating patterns for life 35.   Communicate  36.   Set clear targets  37.   Don’t be a nag    Discipline Rules 38.   Present a united front  39.   Carrots beat sticks 40.   Be consistent 41.   Lighten up  42.   Focus on the problem, not the person 43.   Don't paint yourself into a corner  44.   If you lose your temper, you’re the loser  45.   Apologise if you get it wrong 46.   Let them back in 47.   The right of expression   Personality Rules 48.   Find out what incentives work for your child  49.   Every child should have something they know they're good at  50.   Learn to appreciate the qualities that remind you of someone else 51.   Look for similiarities between you  52.   Find qualities to admire in them 53.   Let them be better than you 54.   Their attitude is as important as their achievements 55.   Keep your fears and insecurities to yourself  56.   Mind your programming 57.   Don't try to have a perfect child   Sibling Rules 58.   Give them each other 59.   Recognise that squabbling is healthy (within reason) 60.   Teach them to sort out their own arguments 61.   Work as a team 62.   Let them entertain each other 63.   Never compare children with each other 64.   Different children need different rules 65.   Don’t have a favourite  66.   Mix and match 67.   Find each child’s strengths   School Rules 68.   Schooling isn't the same as education 69.   School comes as a package 70.   Fight your child's corner 71.   Bullying is always serious 72.   Teach them to stand up for themselves 73.   Put up with friends of theirs you don't like 74.   Remember you're their parent, not their teacher 75.   Don't mollycoddle them 76.   Let up the pressure 77.   They have to live with their choices (and it's ok)   Teenage Rules 78.   Don't Panic  79.   Remember Newton's Third Law  80.   Give them a voice 81.   Don’t look under the mattress 82.   Running around after them doesn't help anybody 83.   Don't stand in front of a speeding train  84.   Yelling isn't the answer 85.   Let them have the last word 86.   Everything comes with strings 87.   Show some respect for the things they care about 88.   Adopt a healthy attitude to sex   Crisis Rules 89.   Don’t use your kids as ammunition  90.   Let them cope in their own way 91.   Being younger doesn't necessarily speed everything up 92.   The aftershock can last forever 93.   Tell them what’s going on  94.   Teach them to fail successfully 95.   It's better to agree than to be right 96.   All your actions speak louder than any of your words 97.   Make sure they know they’re priority no. 1 98.   You can’t fix everything   Grown-up Rules 99.   Back off 100.  Wait until they ask for advice  101.  Treat them as adults 102.  Don’t try to be their best friend 103.  Encourage them regardless 104.  You can’t choose who your children love 105.  Leave the strings off 106.  Don’t guilt-trip them 107.  Remember they still need you  108.  It’s not your fault 109.  Once a parent, always a parent

About the Author :
Richard Templar (Devon, UK) is an astute observer of human behavior who understands what makes the difference between those who effortlessly glide towards success and those who struggle against the tide. He has distilled these observations into his Rules titles, read by more than one million people around the world. His global best-sellers include "The Rules of Life," "The Rules of Money," and "The Rules of Work." His books also include "I Don't Want Any More Cheese: I Just Want Out of the Trap."