John Piper has a good article on parenting children. It will be well worth your read and a good resource for helping other parents. I believe it is simple and biblical.

His last point goes like this. It is, I trust, the driving force behind my parenting for the past 28 years. Don’t forget as a parent the ultimate issues. We want our children to know God. We desire to glorify Him as parents and we long for our children to glorify Him with their lives. This means showing Him to our children is immense. Don’t lost that motivation in parenting. Piper says:

“Since parents represent God to children — especially before they can know God through faith in the gospel — we show them both justice and mercy. Not every disobedience is punished. Some are noted, reproved, and passed over. There is no precise manual for this mixture. Children should learn from our parenting that the God of the gospel is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:7, 29) and that he is patient and slow to anger (1 Timothy 1:16). In both cases — discipline and patience — the aim is quick, happy, thorough obedience. That’s what knowing God in Christ produces.

Parents, you can do this. It is a hard season. I’ve spent more than sixty percent of my life in it. But there is divine grace for this, and you will be richly rewarded.”

You can read the rest here: http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/parents-require-obedience-of-your-children