Today I went to a funeral mass. Why is that important? Well, when the woman’s children eulogized her, they focused on her wonderful parenting. They mentioned how Mom pushed them and demanded their best. The kids remembered that Mom’s motivating ways did not always conjure up good memories. Yet, her no-nonsense parenting style made them upright, successful adults.

Children do not celebrate ineffective parents. Kids celebrate the parent who worked hard enough to be the bad guy, so their kids could be good adults.