Sometimes when I think about parenting, I give myself three rules.
1) Keep them happy
2) Keep them safe
3) Don't let them wreck things
In light of twin/adoption studies that show parenting has little influence on children, common practices geared toward the molding of children into good adults are omitted from this list.
Still, my list is a little too simple. Most notably, it excludes short-term incentives that can make children easier to live with. I may use rewards and punishments to help direct my children today and tomorrow, without deluding myself into thinking I'm transforming them into the people they're always going to be the rest of their lives.
