Parenting is a big job. We spend a lot of energy and time making decisions that will best help our children grow up to be happy, strong, and responsible. Kids in both strict and relaxed families tend to grow up fine, when the parents are reasonably consistent with their approach - when they don't abruptly change their rules and expectations - when they love their children.

Some of this is coming from my training and experience as a psychologist, some from my training and experience as a mother. Recent trends have encouraged a kind of parenting similar to yanking a pet on a leash. Life doesn't have to be so rugged. Having a strong parent figure that can be trusted is very wise and important and sometimes, in fact, it's beneficial to both child and parent for the child to lead the way. This can hold true for babies as well!