Sometimes as a parent, you have to give your child that doesn't do his or her chores some tough love and withhold the allowance.

If you've never been hated by your child, you've never been a parent.

If you can give your child only one gift, let it be enthusiasm.

The love you have for your child is so much greater than any challenge you'll face as a parent, and that's what helps you through.

There are times as a parent when you realize that your job is not to be the parent you always imagined you'd be, the parent you always wished you had. Your job is to be the parent your child needs, given the particulars of his or her own life and nature.

When you give directives to a child, especially a teenager, you must consider the nature of your child.