Are You The Best Kind Of Parent?

As someone who has spent his career helping parents, especially dads, to be the best parents they can possibly be, I can tell you there’s no shortage of opinions on what makes the best kind of parent.

What I find in short supply isn’t evidence so much as simple ways to communicate it.

That’s why I admire the ways in which best-selling author Daniel Pink communicates evidence related to all kinds of important topics, such as on what motivates humans and that we’re constantly involved in selling something. His talent is perusing research on a topic, distilling what the body (bulk) of the research says and sharing what the research says in ways that are easy to understand.

Recently, he’s started to communicate via “Pinkcasts” — short videos he records in his office and that he puts online. In one of his recent Pinkcasts, he illustrates with a clipboard and a 2x2 matrix what makes for the best parent. Rather than tell you what he says, click here to watch the 2-minute Pinkcast.

Then read the rest of this post.

Isn’t that a simple way to answer whether you’re the best parent — a wise parent? Sure. You have to unpack what it means to be supportive and demanding, the activities or actions associated with each characteristic. (To start unpacking them, I recommend reading the book he mentions.) But this simple way of answering the question provides a starting point for self-reflection. Knowing where to start is vital to any exercise in being the best parent you can be.