THE FUSE

One of the gut-punches about parenting is this: Our kids learn far more from what we model than from what we say. If we regularly lose our temper but tell them that yelling and name-calling are unacceptable, we’re creating confusion—and often little tyrants. If we urge them to choose caring, steady partners while we stay in volatile or unkind relationships, we’re teaching them that chaos and meanness are what love looks like—and therefore “normal.”