If you try to see being a parent as something bound and dictated by certain behaviors and rules, you are in for big trouble. Being a parent is no different than being a child. If it becomes a set of rigid rules you must live by, life loses its joy and becomes a state of constant criticism. Talk with your mate, too, about giving yourselves some of the freedom the children have. Make fun of yourselves and your quirks so you can laugh and relax. The world is a serious enough place. Lighten up and be a joyful example to your family rather than a slave to the arbitrary expectations of conformity.
— Bernie Siegel, MD, Love, Magic & Mudpies, p. 76