Humour is strong and flexible. Tragedy is brittle. If we change all our children's misdeeds into tragedy, (0) ... J. If all their mistakes are exposed and judged, as before the High Court, they will swiftly feel themselves to be victims of an unyielding system. Soon they feel that not only what they did was bad, (1).... .
But if a child can make mistakes in safety, (2) .... , or through laughter, his trust and feeling of parental acceptance is not destroyed. The lesson will, however, still be learned. Humour diffuses a situation; (3) .... .
Quite simply, the best way to convey discipline to our children is to discipline ourselves. We are the signposts to our chidren's futures, (4) .... .
It makes sense to take responsibility for our own actions, and respect and accept our own feelings. (5) .... . We are then less likely to hide behind a liberal or an authoritarian mask that is unable to reflect the full range of our feelings.

A and they are always looking to us to see where to go
B if we wish to develop as human beings
C but that they are intrinsically bad, too
D as we travel through life together
E but also that their parents are totally out of control
F learn through the warmth of a cuddle
G seriousness augments it
H which is, of course, its greatest strength
I before we discipline the child
J they soon learn the unhappiness of existence