You didn't have a choice about the parents you inherited, but you do have a choice about the kind of parent you will be.

If you as parents cut corners, your children will too. If you lie, they will too. If you spend all your money on yourselves and tithe no portion of it for charities, colleges, churches, synagogues, and civic causes, your children won't either. And if parents snicker at racial and gender jokes, another generation will pass on the poison adults still have not had the courage to snuff out.

Parents have become so convinced that educators know what is best for their children that they forget that they themselves are really the experts.

The planned execution of Mr. Williams will leave a permanent scar on the conscience of the state of Georgia, on your administration and on our nation.

To all those mothers and fathers who are struggling with teen-agers, I say, just be patient: even though it looks like you can't do anything right for a number of years, parents become popular again when kids reach 20.

Don't feel entitled to anything you didn't sweat and struggle for.