From Steve’s Library 10/25/2005

Guys, there’s good reason to be strict and consistent in our roles as dads. If you bend to every breeze that blows by, you’re sending a harmful message to your children.

You might as well say, there’s no good reason to set down rules on behavior, I just do it to amuse myself and to make my kids’ lives more miserable. A child pleading, begging, and sobbing doesn’t change a thing when it comes to determining whether something is right or wrong.

A lovingly strict father can change when change is the best thing to do. Changing your mind just to avoid confrontation is more damaging to the child in the long run. A few tears won’t ruin the rest of a child’s life. Weathering the tantrums that kids can throw will assure that more stable and mature behavior will emerge later. Remaining firm now is an investment in the future.

—Steve Farrar

Steve Farrar was the author of many books, including the best-sellers Point Man, Finishing Strong, and Battle Ready: Be Strong and of Good Courage in These Troubled Times.