If you raise your children to be happy,
they won't be happy;
but if you raise your children well,
they will be happy...
and so will you

I believe your most important responsibility as a parent is teaching your children self-reliance and preparing them to be effective in all aspects of their life. To do this keep in mind the principle that it is less important what you tell your children, than what they are able to tell you. And then to instill in them the 3 P's of preparation: perspective, perseverance, and patience check out: http://markgoulston.com/blog/archive/2008/1/usableinsight-workandfamil.s...

Before children (or adults) can open their minds to advice, they often need to get stuff off their chest, have it heard and then exhale, both physically and mentally to make room for new input.