[bolt.]

I agree with everybody else, so I won't be repetative... here are a few more...

I assume that children are people, and that when it is possible they should be treated with the same sorts of dignity and personal consideration that we tend to give other people in our lives -- unless there really is a specific and reasonable reason not to do so.

I assume that parenting is ministry, a calling and a holy duty. All types of ministry are about being a way that the love of God gets from God to another person, in practical ways, through me.

I assume that the type of ministry parenting is should be called a 'teaching and leadership' ministry, and as such, the most appropreate skills to apply to the tasks are the skills of godly, pastoral servant leadership (adjusted for the age of our followers) and the skills of good teaching (with specific attention to the age of our learners).

I assume that everybody learns everything best when they are feeling calm, happy, comfortable, secure and unthreatened. (Therefore, if it's important that a child learn to do something, or not to do something, it is a good idea to pick a teaching-window that has those characteristics).

I assume (based on what I learned in a counselling class) that (generally) the single most influential person in a person's life, ever, is their same-gender parent, followed by their primary-caregiver (parent or otherwise) in young childhood. The lessons from these people can be phenomenally difficult to ever un-learn or disergard, even with professional help. (Therefore what I am doing is incredibly important. It's not child-minding.)

I assume that most things that matter to personhood and character are caught-not-taught before a child turns 6 years old.