From dinner time conversation skills to the lost art of the thank-you note, today’s parents are returning to old-fashioned, time-tested values.  In developing gratitude, good manners, and every other life skill, children look to parents to lead the way. Here’s how you can do just that — no matter how young your brood is:

Some say that play is the work of children.

I agree. Sort of….

The developmental tasks accomplished through playing are what truly matter.

Equally important: What kind of co-worker are you Mommy? The hovering, scampering, secretarial type?  The strict foreman who keeps the trains running on time?  Or are you more of an over-qualified, underpaid, personal assistant to a diva?

Loving, and being loved, develops like any other life skills your baby will master over the course of the next 2 decades: She’ll first practice on you.

Unlike talking, testing boundaries, or taming her impulses — falling in love won’t wait.  It’s the first thing she needs to be able to do.

When it comes to parents and praise — let’s just say there’s room for improvement.

I’m not talking about the genuine awe to which parents (especially brand-new parents) succumb when they take a good, long, contemplative look at their offspring. Because infants come to us equipped engineered with strategies, reflexes, and tools that ensure their survival, they really are fascinating.

No doubt — they’re worthy of our respect, encouragement, understanding.  But daily applause?