The most important thing that parents can teach their children is how to get along without them.

The most important thing that parents can teach their children is how to get along without them.

Don't take up a man's time talking about the smartness of your children; he wants to talk to you about read more

Don't take up a man's time talking about the smartness of your children; he wants to talk to you about the smartness of his children.

It might sound a paradoxical thing to say --for surely never has a generation of children occupied more sheer hours read more

It might sound a paradoxical thing to say --for surely never has a generation of children occupied more sheer hours of parental time --but the truth is that we neglected you. We allowed you a charade of trivial freedoms in order to avoid making those impositions on you that are in the end both the training ground and proving ground for true independence. We pronounced you strong when you were still weak in order to avoid the struggles with you that would have fed your true strength. We proclaimed you sound when you were foolish in order to avoid taking part in the long, slow, slogging effort that is the only route to genuine maturity of mind and feeling. Thus, it was no small anomaly of your growing up that while you were the most indulged generation, you were also in many ways the most abandoned to your own meager devices by those into whose safe-keeping you had been given.

A wasted youth is better by far than a wise and productive old age.

A wasted youth is better by far than a wise and productive old age.

Let the child's first lesson be obedience, and the second will be what thou wilt.

Let the child's first lesson be obedience, and the second will be what thou wilt.

Children begin by loving their parents. After a time they judge them. Rarely, if ever, do they forgive them.

Children begin by loving their parents. After a time they judge them. Rarely, if ever, do they forgive them.

Behold, I was shapened in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. [Psalms 51:5].

Behold, I was shapened in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. [Psalms 51:5].

I'm old enough to know better, but still too young to care.

I'm old enough to know better, but still too young to care.

If you want to recapture your youth, just cut off his allowance.

If you want to recapture your youth, just cut off his allowance.