Perfection is not attainable.
But if we chase perfection,
we can catch excellence.
-Vince Lombardi

We may be so involved in our roles as parents that we don't think about the larger issues. It would be a good idea to step back and consider what we are trying to accomplish.

We were placed on this earth in order to accomplish certain goals. Those goals include having and raising children in the proper way.

Thus, the first Biblical command, about having children, is only a first step. It is not an end. Parents are expected to help their children be all that they can be. Your successful efforts will make your children better than those who were not raised with this concept in mind.

Your neighbors or children are likely to pressure you to raise your children to be like all of the others. This peer pressure prevents other parents from feeling guilty, when they do not offer their children all that they should and could. As a good parent, you should rise to the challenge. Listen to those neighbors, as well as your children, but in the end, do what is right. Do this according to a plan that you have developed before the children are born, and revise that plan together with the children as they grow older.

This will not be easy. However, you did not have children in order to raise them according to your neighbors' guidelines and (lack of) goals.

Will your children appreciate the fact that you have raised them in the best possible way? Will this cause them to show their appreciation? Will it limit their future rebellions?

Not necessarily. But this lack of appreciation does not detract from your obligation and your job.

That additional fact - that it is so easy to relinquish all or part of your responsibility - makes your challenge even greater and more meaningful.