What makes a good parent? It could be Parent A, who pushes their children to try new things and gain valuable experiences from them. They love their children and want them to succeed very much. They put them into music or dance lessons when they are young, and enter them into competitions. They challenge them to face their fears, and teach them morals and standards that are appropriate for their future. On the other hand, could Parent B be the better parent? They love their children as well, and want them to succeed with all their heart. However, they don't push their children, but let them lead their own lives. They allow their children think and act for themselves, and learn from their own experiences. They encourage their children to try many things and explore ideas, but do not force them into anything they don't want to do. They, too, teach standards and morals, in the hope that their children will carry them into a prosperous future.
In The Dead Poets Society, Mr. Perry told his son Neil to do everything he wasn't able to do when he was young; he is a type-A parent. He registered him in Welton Academy, a private boys' school, and told him what he was to become in the future. When Neil tried to think on his own and act in a play, Mr. Perry took him out of Welton and enrolled him into a military academy to become a doctor. Not that Mr. Perry was a bad parent, for Neil said his father had his intentions at heart, but from Neil's suicidal reaction, he would have prospered more with a type-B parent.
So which parent is the best? The answer lies with each individual. Whether a mother takes after Parent A pushing her children to participate in various activities in their lives, and helping them find out what they want to do in the future, or Parent B in letting her children think and learn for themselves, and letting them try new things and discover who they are, she is a good parent.
But wait...is the magnitude of greatness in a parent always determined by their styles of parenting alone? Perhaps the goodness of the parent is truly distinguished by the greatness of their children. How the children think and act in their own lives reflects the actions and teachings of their parents. Then in order to become the best parent, one must therefore discover the most efficient and effective method of raising their children to surpass the parents' own greatness. If all parents act in this way, perchance, humanity would exponentially expand in greatness until the ends of time. Amen.