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Parents: Get in on the act!
The role of parent also has many acts contained within it, perhaps more than in any other role you play. You act like a doctor, nurse, entertainer, chauffeur, cook, teacher, co-ordinator, time-management specialist, counsellor, disciplinarian, wardrobe consultant, and a myriad of other acts, all related to being a parent. No matter how many acts are contained within the role of parent, it is still a singular role, and should not be confused with any of the other roles you play throughout your day.

Tailoring your act
Parents get into trouble when they confuse their different roles. When you come home at the end of the day and your children run to greet you, now is the time to step into the role of parent. Leave your other roles outside the door. In order to be an effective parent, you need to keep differentiating the different roles in your life.

Remember the famous movie Sound of Music where the father, who is a military man, treats his seven children as he would his soldiers?
The result - a confused group of children, starved of love and affection, playing pranks on unsuspecting governess in order to get attention from the father.

When in Rome..
" There are two great injustices that can befall a child. One is to punish him for something he didn't do. The other is to let him get away with doing something he knows is wrong."

- Robert Gardner

Knowing what role to use at just the right moment is critical. When you are in the company of your children, be a parent. Now is not the time to be a buddy. When your child is hurt, be a doctor. Now is not the time to be a disciplinarian. When a parent uses a role and an act that is appropriate to the situation, her effectiveness as a parent is determined. All it needs is a little bit of common sense.