Follow through

As if it isn't enough work to determine rules and boundaries for your children, you then need to follow through and see that the stated rules and boundaries are obeyed.  Wouldn't it be nice if you said to your child, "You must brush your teeth every night after dinner" and magically, your child never misses his nightly teeth brushing.  You and I both know that that is an unrealistic dream.  And yet, many moms seem surprised that their little darlings needs daily reminders.  If you want your child to brush his teeth every night, you have to remind him, supervise him, cajole him (sometimes), and then check to see how thoroughly he complied.

I guess that following through aspect of our jobs is what gives us job security.  :)  We are needed every day to reinforce the family rules, for without checking up on our children, rules are meaningless.

Seeing that rules are obeyed consistently will help our children learn how to function well in society...whether it's in preschool or law school.  We do our children a disservice when we ignore their bad behavior and disobedience.  They need us to be conscientious parents and follow through.