It is truly amazing the damage that we, as parents, can inflict on our children. So why do we do it? For the most part, we don’t do it intentionally or with malice. In the majority of cases, the cause is a well-meaning!

Benjamin Franklin, inventor, statesman, writer, publisher and economist relates in his autobiography that early in his life he decided to focus on arriving at moral perfection. He made a list of 13 virtues, assigning a page to each. Under each virtue he wrote a summary that gave it fuller meaning. Then he practiced each one for a certain length of time. To make these virtues a habit, Franklin can up with a method to grade himself on his daily actions.

• Franklin’s extraordinary success in life.
• Politics can be attributed to his perseverance.
• You will begin to realise why this exercise is.
• From twelve to one he read or overlooked his accounts and dined.
• From two to five he worked at his trade.
• Just have a think about something that you know.