In reflecting on my own parenting style (and being a Baylor nurse!), I’ve adopted the following

Each summer for the last decade, I’ve spent extensive time with teens volunteering as a camp nurse. This time is precious to me as I get the luxury of heart-to-heart talks about the issues they are struggling to handle in the realities of 21st-century teen culture.

In the early days of parenting when physical exhaustion is a constant albatross around your neck, it can be easy to throw some of these times away or even resent the obligations surrounding these parental duties. The words “tuck yourself in” or an exasperated “really?!” have been known to escape my lips at a nightly request.

Are you brave enough to do a parenting gut check today? Is your kids’ room a trainwreck? Maybe yours is too. Is your teen too assertive and challenges authority? Maybe you do too.