No parents ever took a course on child rearing. Unfortunately, babies do not come with an instruction manual. Most parents try to do the right thing and have their child's best interest at heart. They make mistakes along the way and hopefully learn from them. One thing I've learned is that every child is an individual. No two kids are alike even identical twins. What works for one may or may not work on the other. The two most important things a parent can do are to teach his children moral ethics and to instill on them a spiritual faith in God. Everything else will not matter one bit without these basic knowledge. Part of growing up is to experiment and to challenge authority. We cannot watch over our kids all the time and we cannot protect them from all life's challenges. Once you are given a moral compass, you will be able to make the right choices 95% of the time. For the few times when they make the wrong choice, their conscience will kick in and hopefully prevent further damage.
Having faith in a higher power will help them through rough times.
The health of a society is dependent on the well being of our children. They will grow up to be the next generation. I believe one of the key factors that lead to a breakdown in society is the failure of parents to teach their children these basic values. For thousands of years in Chinese history, Confucius was the main philosophy and it was taught in every school. The main teaching was "respect for the elder". This is such a simple but profound idea. It maintained a structure that promotes civility and connects across the generations. In some culture, it is called the "circle of life" and in Christian philosophy it is "honor thy mother and father".
In recent years, we have evolved away from these basic concepts due to many social factors. The breakdown of the family unit, the lack of discipline in our schools, the attack on Christian values,
the lack of moral teachings and the coarsening of the broadcast media, all contribute to this downward trend. It is very difficult for a parent to teach his children traditional values under this environment.

Here are some guidelines:
1. Set age appropriate limits for your kids and stick by them.
2. Teach by example and live an ethical and moral life.
3. Show respect for authority and your elders.
4. Treat each kid as an individual and never compare them or show favoritism.
5. Look for the uniqueness of each kid and adjust your methods accordingly.
6. Listen to them and ask them for their input before making major decisions that affect their life.
7. Share at least one meal a day as a family.
8. Discuss current events and never pass up an opportunity to teach them life lessons.
9. Reward them with positive feedback.
10. Love them unconditionally and pray for and with them.

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