Parents are Parents... NOT Friends

When your kids say you're cool, or "all our friends think you're cool", you need to remind them that "no, I'm really not all that cool".
Why?

Because we must always remember that we are the parent, and being a parent is NOT all that cool to a kid. If their friends think you're cool, what that actually means is they think you're being permissive. You must remember to let them know that even though you might allow them to push the boundaries a bit, you're doing so with strings attached.

Your child and their friends are NOT your friends, they are in a different category all together...
    the parent/child one!
You are the authority figure...
    you make the rules, and
        you set the boundaries!

Make sure that by 'being cool' you are not actually being a little too permissive. The ideal area of being too lax and being too strict is not an easy place to be, but nobody ever said this role is an easy one.
Be the parent!

(I'm obviously preachin' to self on this one.)
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