In my own family, my mother had my sister when I was 15 and for various reasons, I was extremely involved in raising her.

So many women keep their anger inside and let it build until they explode and then people blow them off again.

Mothers and fathers do really crazy things with the best of intentions.

I think that giving mindless praise is ridiculous. But I understand why parents do it. They want their kids to feel good about themselves. But parents are never going to teach their children true, positive self esteem by praising everything they do.

When I tell people I work to stop hazing in high schools I am almost always met with shocked expressions. "High school? Really? I thought that was something that only arrogant frat guys do in college." But it's true - as long as I have worked on preventing bullying in high schools, I have worked to prevent hazing.

As an expert, I can deal with complex problems. As a mother it is much, much harder.

Being a parent does not give you an excuse for bad manners.