Parenting advice

This article from the New York Times was floating around the internet a couple of weeks ago. It basically talked about how the level of parental involvement impacted the success of children. Do you read parenting books? I like to refer to the What to Expect books from time to time and earlier this summer I read Bringing up Bebe. I don't follow anything to the letter but for a directions freak like me who is constantly looking for a operating instructions (yes, I realize there isn't one) it's fascinating to see how others parent.

The one piece of parenting that stuck with me from Bringing up Bebe was that there are four magic words for French children. In addition to "please" and "thank you" children are expected to say "hello" and "goodbye" to others, especially when visiting another person's home. It seems like common sense but I have a feeling it's one of those manners that can get forgotten easily in the hustle and bustle of trying to arrive on time to a place (which is a rare occurrence for us these days), or leaving (to be late to your next destination, ha!) So I've been making an effort to try to coax Dexter to say hello to everyone when we arrive and to say goodbye (or give a hug and a kiss if you're a lucky duck family member because those hugs are kind of the best) when we leave. He hasn't fought me too much on this so far. I suspect that changes as they get older and more feisty so I'm really looking forward to that. Should be fun.

   Photo taken by my cousin Christine