Never tell those closest to you the depths of your love. Being a real man is about the suppression of emotional expression.
A man’s home is his castle. Exercise your divine right to control the things and people close to you. Be a king who expects respect.
Provide the money for the roof over their heads, food on the table and tablets in little hands. Leave the social, emotional, mental, academic, artistic, physical and nutritional provision to your partner. Money matters more.
Dutifully sacrifice your fleeting time with them for money to buy the trappings of modern life. Conform to that company culture that values your time In the chair more than the difference you make.
Don’t say sorry.
Keep quiet about your youth, your mistakes, your wins, your loves, passions and friendships. They have to learn for themselves.
Hold high standards. Regardless of the child’s temperament, age and stage of development, the specific situation. You set the standards. Absolutely. Woe betide those who don’t meet them.
When they don’t behave, discipline is demanded. The advances in the social sciences can’t contradict the wisdom of what’s ‘worked’ for decades. Stern discipline and harsh consequences drive behaviour. That’s the man’s job.
Games are for children. Real grown-ups don’t spend time with their children playing them.
Early years childcare, like changing nappies is not a man’s work. Start investing the time to build a relationship with your child when they’re old enough to hold a good conversation.
Parenting isn’t something to spend time learning about. It’s largely her job, and when you do have to get involved, you’ll just do what your parents did because you turned out just fine.