Michael Ian Black: Adapter Parent

I'm fairly relaxed in my everyday life. But that wasn't always the case. (The meds have worked wonders!) I'm kind of a go-with-the-flow-type person. I'm not afraid of conflict, but I'm also not seeking it. That's sort of the way I am with parenting. I really think nature does a better job of creating children than we do, so I'm inclined to let nature run its course—with boundaries!

I think that there is a tendency to over-parent children these days; to get involved in every aspect of your kids' lives and program them like little robots so they can do your bidding. But I really think kids need to explore the world on their own. They need to have their own interests and spend their time on what THEY want to, not what their parents want them to do (for instance, being a concert pianist or saving the world). As parents, we need to let kids be themselves. Of course, if my if my son has his druthers, he'd spend 14 to 16 hours a day watching television, so we do have some rules.

I don't freak out if my kids slide down the banister or go down the slide backwards. I'm not afraid if they hurt themselves, and when they do, I'm not so worried about it. Kids are very resilient. Some might say I'm bordering on negligent—and that's probably true. I'm just not worried about them in the way I think other parents are worried. When I was growing up, I took a lot of knocks and there was a lot less adult supervision. Parents didn't use to be so afraid of bumps and bruises. That's how I parent, too. A few hugs and some kisses and all is well!

Besides being a dad, Michael Ian Black is best known as an actor, comedian and writer and has starred in shows such as Comedy Central's Reno 911! and VH1's I Love the '80s ... series.

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