support

you may hate football. you may hate ballet. you may hate the outdoors.

You are allowed to hate all of these things, but you are a parent now, and you need to support your child and the activities they love. Even if this means sitting though a three hour play that your child is in for less than five minutes. Support shows your children that you care about them and that you are proud of their achievements no matter how minuscule they may be in the long run. Not only does one parent need to be there, but both parents should try to make it to at least one game or performance. When you are there for all of the good parts of their childhood they will want you to be there for all of the other important things in their life and keep you in the loop.

This also goes for relationships. Sometimes it is not only about you. You may hate action movies, but every once in awhile, even if it is only every fourth time, let them choose the movie, or better yet decide on your own to see a movie that you know your significant other will enjoy. Little gestures like this make a difference, and don't think it goes unnoticed.