Good parenting is less about what your child does and more about what you do. Too often I see parents answering questions that were specifically directed to their children and it makes me cringe. Maybe because I did the same thing with my first son. Luckily, a friend pointed it out and I quickly stop doing it. My son is a lawyer now who must speak-up for others and is one of the best listeners I’ve ever known, but I wonder if I had not been shown the light so soon, how that would have changed the course of his future. I did some soul searching to figure out why I wanted to answer for him in the first place and have come to the conclusion that if truth be told, I think I wanted to make sure the answer that came out of his mouth was right. Of course there is no right or wrong answer for “what is your favorite ice cream?” but I was on auto pilot for him. Crazy as that sounds it can really be harmful to children. They can grow up having doubts about themselves and trouble making a decision on their own. So if you are making the same mistake and someone points it out to you, don’t be offended, say thank you very much! Oh no, now I’m speaking for you too. Just let your child speak for himself.