Why should you listen to what I have to say?

 

I could talk about my degree in Child Development at UC Berkeley, the forty years I’ve spent studying the literature and research on parenting, the books I’ve written, and the 150 parenting products I created and sold to parents across the country. But none of that really matters. 

 

What matters is that I’ve raised my own five children while working full-time for 35 years and found it to be a joyful experience. I felt balanced and happy and confident that I was a good parent, and that I was giving my kids what they needed. I had spent so many years learning about parenting that I understood what they needed. And I wasn’t confused by trendy advice from parents of toddlers who had no idea how their kids would turn out. 

 

I am not saying it was easy, or that my kids were perfect. The highlight of my parenting days was when the police called to say our teenage daughter was passed out drunk at a party. Teenagers do what teenagers do, and parents do everything they can to keep their kids safe and healthy until their brains mature. But they all went to college, have great jobs they love, good relationships, and have stayed connected to each other and to their parents. They are kind, responsible, respectful, and hard-working. They don’t hesitate to jump in and help each other (or mom or dad) when needed. What more could a parent possibly hope for?