angel this is so close to my heart. as with most parents/parents to be. having had terrible parental role models i just knew what i really felt would be important to a child. for me respect is up at the top. even before love cos you can't have love without respect. den and i really show that we respect our kids and they are growing into respected/respectful people. i love this about them. we consider their opinions and hear them out and if appropriate we will negotiate with them. somehow we manage to struggle along and know when to pull out the because that's the way it's gonna be card and when to allow a little bit of slack! just by getting to know you through reading what you write here on belly belly i sense you are very respectful of others and will be a great mum. good parents trust their instincts! IMHO anyway. i think to be a 'good' parent everything must be done consciously and alot of thought needs to go into what is said when and why to a baby/child. den and i are very conscious of our kids self esteem and feed it often and are very careful not to criticise them. and in my opinion parents lead by example that violence is never accepted and therefore discipline is never physical.

in saying all this good parents know they are human and make mistakes, they can learn from these and move on from it. they know guilt is a useless emotion. lots and lots of cuddles, reassurance and kisses don't go astray either!

wow i really did rave on! sorry

love beckles