13 yr old dad???

[77rednecktruck]

@Darkstar

What “looks good on paper” is synonymous for “what is right before one lets emotion cloud one’s sensibility”. I would never tell anyone else how to raise their kids, so please don’t let it sound like I am. However, I personally think that “childhood”, and “innocence” and all that crap is highly overrated. I’m 26 and I don’t even remember most of my childhood, aside from cool trips or events or whatever. I certainly don’t remember my innocence or blissful ignorance or any of those emotions. Remember, you’re only a kid for a few years, then you’re an adult for the other 70 years of your life.

I would see my role as a parent to make my kids smart, well-mannered, outgoing, sociable, and as informed as possible, while instilling a good work ethic. This is what will set them up for success for their whole lives. Spoil a kid rotten and they’ll turn out rotten. Neglect them and they’ll have poor self esteem. Shelter them from the realities of life and it will do them no good either.

:dunno:

agreed, but once you have kids, your outlook on a lot of things instantly changes. At least it did for me.

You may not remember every little thing about your childhood, but everything that happened make you who you are today, good or bad.

spoiling you kids or neglect are bad things to do, but sheltering them from bad things until they are old enough to understand them is part of parenting, IMO. I do not want my kids to know about the shitty side of life right now, they have better things to occupy their time with. Like learning how to work a clutch on a dirtbike or how to beat the last level of mario on the Nintendo DS.