13 Virtues of parenting

Even as a little kid I loved babies. As I grew older is was obvious I had to have lots of kids. Yet, even though I felt totally prepared for the day my first child was born, three kids and one on the way ten years later and I still don't feel like an adequate parent.

So, as I was sitting in church listening to the priest lecture about virtues, I though: I have 3.5 kids with 10 years experience. I'm as credible as anyone to create a list of parenting virtues.

To get started I checked out Benjamin Franklins 13 virtues. He actually came up with these while writing the first half of his autobiography of which he wrote to his son. He said he was a successful person, so he wanted to give advice for his son to become successful as well.

He said at the end of every day he evaluated his person to person accountings for that day, and evaluated how he did based on his 13 virtues. He even kept score. I personally love his 13 virtues, and came up with a list of my own for myself to follow, in an attempt to make Rick Frea a better person.

So, I though, why not create the 13 virtues of parenting:

1. Play: Participate in meaningless activity to free yours and your child's mind and generate a good relationship with your child. Laugh. Bonding is useful to develop a comradely to inculcate virtues of your desire upon your child.

2. Consistency: Do it the same way every time. Be consistent with your principles and you will all benefit.

3. Equanimity: Keep your cool in times of pressure. Most important, be patient.

4. Taciturn: Say little and you'll appear sagacious and god-like in the words and actions you do choose.

5. Pithy: When you do speak, make it short and sweet. Give yourself 30 seconds to make your point, at which point your lecture is complete.

6. Humility: Bite your pride. It's okay to be right and to let others around you think you are wrong. Assume you could be wrong.

7. Complimentary: Always provide good sentiments whenever possible.

8. Enterprise: Set your own goals aside and be constantly active in your child's life, especially when times are difficult for your child or during times that require boldness. This includes attending ballgames and school activities. Also, demand of your child the same even at the expense of your time. Like you, they should waste little time, and always be employed in something useful (play and sleep are useful).

9. Commitment: You made the choice to have children, now pledge that you will invest quality time assuring the product will come out the way you envision. Demand the same of your children. Demand they do their homework in a productive manner, and stick to their commitments.

10. Sternness: Have few rules and strictly enforce them.

11. Firmness: Enforce rules with a firm and steady voice and hand. Do not exceed your bounds. Do not be verbally or physically abusive.

12. Cosmopolitan: Have an opinion, yet judge seldom and be open minded.

13. Prioritize: Put God first, then your wife, and then your children before yourself. Then your job, followed by other things.