About the author

John Hitchcock

<p>I grew up in a small town of 59 people in the middle of the Adirondack Mountains of New York State.&#160;</p><p>Once I understood you don&#8217;t have to be perfect to be successful, life became enjoyable. My parents taught me that doing the right thing at the right time produced positive results.</p><p>Mom and Dad both worked, but that did not prevent us from doing things as a family. We went camping, played neighborhood softball games, went to the drive-in theater for all the John Wayne movies, bowled together, and ate dinner (actually, we called it supper) together.</p><p>My independent actions and ideas were allowed, even encouraged. Buying amateur radio equipment or a new BB-gun gave me the opportunity to find a job to pay for it. Thus, raising chickens and selling the eggs, even picking and canning tomatoes for the lady down the road became part of my middle school years.</p><p>During the early years of college, my relationship with God gave me the courage to deal with some tough emotional challenges.</p><p>Now, as an experienced classroom teacher, parent and grandparent, I am thankful for the parenting lessons my mother and father implanted in my heart. Those ideas are nothing new or radical, just logical and effective.</p><p>One evidence of positive, not perfect, parenting that they imparted to me is quite simple &#8211; I continue to wake up every morning anxious and excited to get on with another good day!</p><p/>