One of the questions that has emerged for me as a mother with less physical energy than I’d like is, “What really matters when it comes to parenting?”

For a long time, my tactic was don’t engage if I can’t be nice or I can’t enforce (which has been the case off and on with challenging pregnancies or recovering from surgeries). But, as my kids get older, I realize that isn’t an effective long-term plan.

I came across The Collapse of Parenting which provided a lot of clarity as to where to focus my time, energy, and attention in parenting.

One of my first big takeaways came in the very first chapter, “Our job as parents is to pass on culture to our children.” If we let our kids learn the culture of their peers, it is one Irampant of disrespect. As a parent, my job is to decide what culture I want to pass on to my children and lead by example.

Check out this week’s episode for more of my favorite takeaways from the book and how it is shaping my day-to-day interactions with my kids.