One of the complaints that many parents have about their child is that they cannot trust her. One of the most important principles for parents to learn is that they themselves (the parents) have to be trustworthy by following-through and being consistent. A parent must be willing to do what they promise they will do when establishing consequences for their child's behavior. That includes controlling their own emotions (not using discipline as an outlet for anger) and even being flexible. But it does not mean ignoring, conveniently forgetting, capriciously changing, or just giving-up on established rules. In an ironic twist of fate, the important question parents need to ask themselves is "can my child trust ME?"
