is it possible to be a good parent without being a hypocrite?

my dad was hypicritical when i was younger. he smoked ciggerettes and i was the only child who ended up picking it up also and when they found my smokes they took them from me cuz of course i was under age to be smoking. I know they were just watching out for my health but he smoked so. lol when my daughter gets to that age and if she starts smoking i think i will let her since both me and my husband do but we arnt gonna buy them for her.

Yes, I do. In fact I think it's not only possible but very important that you do. One of the areas that I first encountered that issue was when my kids started swearing like I do. I never tried to control their communication but I did explain to them that most adults didn't feel the same way about it that I did, and that if they were going to tell their school teachers to phuck off they might find themselves in a bit of trouble. (Mostly I did home schooling, but they both went to public schools here and there.)

I do think it's not only important, but also imperative. There will be times when we all make mistakes, and our kids need to know that we do. I think we should be real in front of them. My youngest three is not allowed to say the words shut up or stupid, because i feel it's not appropriate for someone his age. I have said those words here and there in front of him, and when he notices, I always apologize. I want him to know that everyone messes up, and it doesn't make you a failure, just human, but we can always try to do better next time.

The Gospel of teaching kids is,"Do as I Do, Not as I Say!" If this procedure is followed there will be nothing hypocritical in your teaching.

Hmmm...my parents were not good parents anyway, so I can't use them as an example; but I won't get into that...Anyway, good question, it makes you think. No, I don't think it's possible to be a good parent without being somewhat of a hypocrite. I have seen that some people have responded by saying that they would not be a hypocrite because they would let their child do something just because they do it; but I am not so sure that is what I would call good parenting, so, no, I don't think it's possible. I think a good parent tries to get their child not to make some of the same mistakes that they did, to do that you would of course have to be a hypocrite to some extent. I think it is important to explain to them why you don't think they should do whatever it is though, or why you don't want or allow them to do whatever it is; even though you do it or did it. I don't think that telling them, "because I said so", like some parents do, is a good answer. No one understands or excepts that as a reason. Why should people expect their child to understand or except that as a reason?