Your children and your children’s children will thank you. CHAPTER TEN Out of the Mouths of Babes Ask the young.

“Our children are our guests for eighteen years. We have to treat our guests with the utmost respect.” —Jackie, mom of three

Thirty years later, his heart is still full as the memories of that night flicker on. CHAPTER NINE Love’s Lasting Legacy There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is. —Albert Einstein

Home is not just a place. Home is a state of being.” —Laura Carlin, author and blogger

“Be impeccable with your word. Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean.” Don Miguel goes on to quote the definition of integrity as a state of wholeness or being unbroken. Think about that. Every time you tell even a tiny lie, you are chipping away at your own wholeness and eroding your self-esteem. It’s so much healthier to stay true to

Trust me, I hear stories daily of adults who were scared of their parents or fed a diet of shame. I can promise you that this is not the recipe for self-esteem.

We are the creators of our children’s childhood. Make it personal with your own family rituals. “A child with a strong sense of ‘we’ starts to develop a strong sense of ‘I.’ ” —Kim John Payne, Simplicity Parenting

There is never a time when screaming, shaming, or hitting a child is justified. True discipline does not involve any of those things. It is an opportunity to teach your child. In fact, discipline means “to teach.” Twelve-year-old Matthew was a tournament tennis

Don’t be afraid to be in charge.” —Daphne Hirsh, MD, pediatrician “Parenting is a benevolent dictatorship.” —Robert Landaw, MD, pediatrician “Don’t let the inmates run the asylum.” —Ken Newman, MD, psychiatrist