Meghan Cox Gurdon: "It's practically Halloween, already"

Years ago a friend advised me that I should think through well in advance what family rules I’d expect my teenagers, once I had them, to follow. I remember looking down fondly at the pack of little children around my ankles and thinking, yadda yadda, whatever, I’ve got ages – ages! – before I need to establish a grand system of Rules for Adolescents.

At that point, the emphasis was on getting the children to say please, to shake hands (“look the grownup in the eye”), and to refrain from grimacing when presented with a plate of unfamiliar food.