Parenting Outcomes

There is a preponderance of evidence that children come hardwired with certain abilities and talents and that they are born with a certain temperament. This genetic predisposition is then modified by the child’s environment, including his parenting. While parenting is not the major contributor to who the child becomes, it does play a role, and it is this role to which we turn our attention.

Parents have different goals for their children. Most parents want their children to be happy, to be healthy, to get along with others, and to develop the skills that allow them to negotiate their world as adults. In addition, parents have other goals in mind as they raise their children. Prudent Parenting promotes the values of independence and responsibility, and so, the advice contained in these pages is given with these two goals in mind. Nothing is guaranteed, however. As parents, we can only do our best to encourage our children to develop those things that we value most. In the end, they will be who they will be, and it is our job as parents to accept them for who they are.