Am I doing this right?

While we were out at dinner, I gave Shane "the look". He was dropping anything he could get his hands on onto the floor, so I gave him "the look" and he stopped. Not really a big deal, right? We've all gotten "the look" from our parents. You're off doing mischief and from the kitchen you hear your mom yell out your full name and you immediately drop what you were doing and come running.

One of my biggest fears about being a parent was how was I going to teach this tiny human not to be a jerk? I want him to be kind to others, be respectful, and not become a serial killer. I don't think that's asking too much, right?

But how do you do this? There is a limit to how much you can reason with a two year old. There was a great episode of "This American Life" that addressed the hard topics that parents have to explain to their children (sex, racism, and death). What I came away with is that you have to be honest with your children. Kids are smart and then know when you are BS'ing them. Give them a safe space to express their feelings and listen.

Being a parent is hard. I worry every day that I'm doing a good job. And I haven't even gotten to the hard stuff yet.