Invariably, micromanaging results in four problems: deceit, disloyalty, conflict, and communication problems.

Parents make sure homework is returned without error, drill their kids on upcoming tests to the saturation point, and then complain if teachers do not give the grades they think their kids deserve. By that point, it's hard to tell whose grades they are.

Today's mom watches her every child-rearing step lest she commit some egregious and apocalyptic parenting faux pas that will certainly doom her child to a life spent sleeping under overpasses, or worse, not going to Harvard.

The fewer words a parent uses, the more aurhoritative the parent sounds & the clearer the instruction.

Give your children regular, daily doses of Vitamin N. This vital nutrient consists simply of the most character-building two-letter word in the English language No...Unfortunately, many, if not most, of today's children suffer from Vitamin N deficiency. They've been overindulged by well-meaning parents who've given them far too much of what they want and far too little of what they truly need.

How do you prevent a little sociopath from becoming a big, full-blown sociopath? Sit on him.

The assumption being that if high-risk children could be made to 'feel good about themselves,' these epidemics could be mitigated. ... This prescription, unfortunately, has proven to be yet another in a long list of nouveau homilies that haven't lived up to their promises.