What does it take to be a good parent?

Patience especially.

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaay! It finally made it!

And love.

All except compromising attitude. What the parent says should be law. No compromise.

I think it's silly to ask parents to be selfless and have perfect stability in their lives. Kids will grow up to be disappointed and dissatisfied with the real world. Most important is a fierce love for your child. Then, patience. Then, a sense of humor (which I can't believe isn't in the options).

of these, i chose easy going lifestyle, understanding nature, patience, compassion, selflessness, and i would say tolerance, love, the ability to make quality time!

and i agree totally with sense of humor

A commitment to be with that child and nurture it instead of getting nannies, babysitters or daycares to watch your children.

It's really the only thing that can pull you through tough situations.

All of those.

Patience and consistency, and the ability to be silly and laugh a lot.

Common sense is one other quality.

Many of these and more

Who knows what it really takes to be a good parent? What is the final determination of if you were a good parent or not? I've seen good kids come from (what I think are) bad parents and vice versa. I think you just need to try to do your best as you know how and then hope for the best. So I think all of the qualities above come into play, but even if you have them all doesn't mean you're going to be the perfect parent or raise the perfect child. Some of it's a crap shoot.

I noticed you didn't include "Love".
It is the basis for most of the others item listed.

It doesn't take financial stability to be a good parent. Responsible people who are laid off or otherwise down on their luck can make do and look into other resources if they need to.

One thing it does take is the ability to do 10 things at the same time.

Compassion, patience, flexibility, the ability to relate to kids, the ability to meet your children's need for affection, kindness, food, clothing, and shelter. It is good to establish guidelines, but there is a a VAST difference between proper discipline and abuse. I guess the bottom line is you have to treat your kids with the respect they deserve and earn their respect as well.

I think if kids grow up to be kind and decent people then their parents probably did a good job, and if they also love their parents I think that's an even better measure (because if the parents screwed up badly or were abusive, the kids may not give a damn about them). I agree with you, though, that it seems like some people do a good job of parenting and their kid can still turn out to be a real loser. There are so many influences in a kid's life, I think sometimes good parents aren't enough.

Maybe with little kids but when you're older and can reason, is it not good to think a parent is listening to your point of view and may change their mind? If a parent says to their 13 year old daughter, "You can't be friends with so-and-so because they're Asian" should their daughter accept *that* as law or try and discuss it with them so that they understand?

I agree, there are times when I get so sick of parents on the bus or whatever who have no control over their kids and will tell them to do something over and over again without any success. If you tell a child to sit down and they ignore you, you should sit them down - it doesn't require force. They learn to obey things like that. But unquestioning obedience? That's not healthy. Or have I misunderstood you?

Only ten? I'll bet you routinely handle twenty.

You're right about the Asian friend thing, but I hate it when parents tell little kids to do something and the kid argues with the parent. Parents and kids like that should be banned from public places for disturbing the piece.

Yeah, sometimes.

I know what you mean. I think there are problems if a child doesn't *want* to do what they are told when they are small. When I was little I *always* did what I was told - not because I was afraid of my parents but because I trusted them and felt it was right.

I always did what my mother wanted (I still do today) not because I was afraid of her but because I didn't want to make her disappointed with me. I think mothers are experts at the 'guilt trip'. They are real control freaks. I think mothers are the real heads of households. Fathers only think they are.

lol That is *so* true!

The ability to recognize that:
o your children are not another version of you
o your children's lives are separate from yours
o you only have responsibility for your children up to a point and should respect their boundaries

Good! I'll send my kids over to your house next weekend, 'cause you obviously have more strength than I.

Do you ever watch "Everybody Loves Raymond"? The mother in that show is classic.

Love,morals,emotional stability,a happy home, a sense of humor,REMEMBERING what it was like being a child,patience,lots & lots of patience,& a whole lotta praying.Especially when they come home late.

My 18 year old was in an automobile accident Wednesday,his dad & I were expecting him home by midnight,around 3am & we were starting to get worried,when we received a phone call,saying he had gotten into a car accident & he & his friend were in the hospital.David only suffered minor scratches & his car was unsalvageable.Needless to say I did a LOT of praying that night.

I agree with you that "mothers are the real heads of household & that fathers just think they are." My Kids usually ask me for permission to do something.Not only that but I'm always the bad guy,my husband is ALWAYS the good guy.

I think fathers are more protective of daughters because they remember how they treated girls at that age.

True so true.....

How scary for you! I'm glad David is is okay.

Yeah,I know!! Does your girl drive yet??? You haven't lived till YOUR teenager starts driving.

My husbands a nervous wreck all the time now.

But,yes he's alright.He's so lucky to be walking around,somebody up there,must have been watching over him.All he did was hurt his knee & his jaw a little.

Yesterday he went out & purchased another car.A souped up 74'El Camino.I pray a lot more now!!! Dang kid!!!!!I can hardly wait till he has kids of his own........

No, she has about 5 years to go before she starts driving. I don't think she'll be really wild, but maybe it's too early to tell. I guess parents just have to be ready to let kids do their own thing. You can only teach them so much, and then you have to sit back and let them take risks. It sure is scary!

Tell me about it.......

You forgot Love.