There is no job on the planet more important than parenting.

None, nada, non and nein. Everything else comes in second.

With so much riding on this one thing, why do we put so little effort into doing it right?

Witness today’s upside-down liberal education system as it goes goo-goo over teaching our kids how to use their pee-pees in every creative, enthusiastic and unconstrained fashion possible.

They’re even teaching and aiding them – at an age when they don’t understand the importance of brushing their teeth – how to get those pee-pees remodeled or removed.

Yet when it comes to dealing with the ultimate consequences of liberated indiscriminate sex – new life begging for a chance to do what we get to do – there is desolate silence.

The world has always been foolish and most decent people in history have been taxed with figuring things out for ourselves.

If you get the parenting thing as an important thing, here’s a few things that may help:

The cruciality of truth — We live in a world that has a million ways to evade it. We do so to our catastrophic folly as everything good requires a bodyguard of truth. Children need to know that early so that they can develop at attachment to this life-changing magic elixir.

An attitude of gratitude — Speaking of elixirs, gratitude is a widely overlooked potion of great power. People who are grateful are more positive, happy, patient, loving, forgiving, healthy, social and about any other good thing you can think of than people who are not.

The irreplaceable value of faith — A functional belief in where you came from, what you should be doing while you’re here, and where you’re going when you leave here is like health insurance – one day you’re going to need it. It’s no coincidence that as we get to the later stages of life, we tend to become savvier about the importance of faith. Get your child started early. Take note that America’s bloom was fostered by the Christian faith.

The when, where, and how of self-protection — We live in a dangerous world, and age offers no exemptions. Teach your child how to stand up for themselves with words (the police call it verbal judo), physically (knowing how to hurt people who want to hurt you), and maturity (with a smart eye on what will work best in a given situation). We live in a culture chocked full of bullies, abusers and otherwise violent people. Make sure your kid knows how to fight back.

The importance of mistakes — Sure, everybody makes them, but good kids have to be taught the sequence of owning, learning, forgiving and moving on when they make theirs. Leave out any of these steps, and mistakes can become a debilitating load in our mental backpack. 

Respect for self — Learning to love and value oneself is not the same thing as self-worship. A quiet internal recognition that humans are children of God sets the stage for a life of service, strength and self-governance. In contrast, kids with a low sense of their value become adults who aim low.

Respect for others — It’s not all about me. Humans are social creatures, and we have to be taught to care about our fellowman, women and (to the extent that some have confusion in this area) others. In terms of positive life impact, teaching a child to engage with their peers in an open, strong, considerate and useful manner is the equivalent of funding their degree from Harvard.

How to face down fear and anger — These two emotions are the most addictive in the human experience and account for more misery than most of the rest put together. Learning to manage both is the same as teaching a teen how to use the gas and brake to drive a car.

How to work — If you want to craft a life of success, security and substance, first seek to be useful and the rest will fall into order. Teaching a child the potentials and beatable challenges of work is to liberate them because being productive is the number one source of opportunity, safety and personal freedom in our crazy world.  

How to love — There’s no better medicine than love and kids who are taught how to do it – they already know how to feel it – become forces for good. Importantly, a loving heart leaves less room for the miseries of life that seek to dominate that important piece of personal property.

Well, that’s it, 10 things that will be of use to your children. There are thousands more, but each of these is a foundation skill upon which the rest are more easily added.

Keep in mind that your love and your example are your two most important teaching tools.