The Best Source for Parenting Advice

It was bound to happen eventually, but today the dreaded moment finally arrived. It was no longer enough to just be a dad; today I had to be (gasp!) a parent.  I’m not saying my boys have been saints—in fact there is a long list of witnesses and victims who would enthusiastically confirm that they are not. For example, there was the little incident with the fireworks in the microwave. And the  misunderstanding at church with Sister Piffleton and her surprisingly intense fear of lizards (who knew?!). Plus the difficult-to-forget, yet ever important, lesson about always wearing pants before leaving the house. But these were all things I could handle with a stern scolding…and often a good chuckle after the boys left the room.

Now don’t let your imagination run wild. I won’t go into detail, but I assure you it was nothing that might have resulted in jail time. It was just one of those things where I felt like I needed to step it up a notch. I didn’t have any parenting books on hand, and my latest issue of Popular Mechanics was no help at all, so I turned to the Internet for answers. Luckily I had my brand-spanking new HP Pavilion dm1 laptop handy, so generously provided by the folks at HP.

As is often the case when using the web for research, the responses I received were hit and miss. @DoryTory replied, “Man attacks Alitalia flight attendant http://dlvr.it/PbbqQ.” Interesting, but not helpful. Then @MagnetLegacy let me in on this little gem: “The fastest served ball in tennis was clocked at 154 mph in 1963.” Again, fascinating but I failed to find the deeper meaning. Finally, when @EternalSquid advised, “Be a successful Entrepreneur & fitness Guru: No cash down. Make thousands tmrw? http://bit.ly/fE3ek” everything became clear: Twitter wasn’t the answer; I should have used Google.

To make a long story short (because it was just Earth Month and I’m conserving pixels), it turned out I had the answer all along. I just needed to follow my instincts and use the skills I already had. It wasn’t easy, but in the end everything turned out alright. I just did things the way my parents would have done it. I taught. I disciplined. And I loved. Who knew?

What source(s) do you most recommend for parenting advice?

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