Steven Pinker … a quote I read on a Chipotle bag, of all places … said, “We will never have a perfect world, but it is not romantic or naive to work toward a better one.” I am in Tunis this week for the 50th anniversary conference of the International Federation for Parenting Education (FIEP/IFPE)

My seatmate on the flight from Boston to Paris was an Algerian man. When I asked if he was a dad, he said – with a big smile – “Yes, I am the father of two little girls.” Conveniently, I had the Parents Forum “Tools of the Trade” in Arabic, to give him. It was the least I could do, as I had upended a dish of lentils from my dinner tray all over his trousers (and mine). Economy class is a sardine can, no room to move!

Raising children is such a joy and such a job! We need to do more to support parents. I look forward to the conference at the end of this week and to hearing the perspectives of parenting education colleagues from around the world. I trust that our efforts will do more than a little bit to make the world a better place for all our children.