Every parent's hope and desire for their child is for him or her to be happy and successful in life. However, the reality is that despite the good intentions of parents, many of today's children are being neglected and not properly lead that will put them on that path to success. When there is no direction and no program in place, both the parent and child are left wandering aimlessly through a jungle of unknowns that often leads to misery and disaster.

Below is a road map that will give you hope and direction if you follow the guidelines set forth. It will help you to be not just a good parent but a terrific parent! Use it, apply it, and watch what happens. You will begin to see yourself in a different light and feel better about your parenting abilities.

So let's get you on the right road!

1. Have a discipline system in place and stick with it.

Whether or not children will admit to it, they desire discipline but more importantly direction on how to behave properly. When there is a lack of rules and inconsistency to enforce the rules, children quickly become confused as do the parents. This causes a lot of unnecessary frustration and tension that can easily be solved in two simple steps: One, have a simple system in place that clearly identifies the rules and consequences; and two, be consistent in enforcing the rules. It is important that both the child and parent understand how the system works and how it can benefit both.

When a parent neglects to consistently enforce the rules and carry out the system, he or she sets up false hopes and expectations that don't carry any value behind it. The child quickly learns that the system is weak, is not executed properly, and therefore