I have been interested in the topic of parenting for many years. My eldest child is 44 years old, so that's how long I've been a parent myself. But I have also studied sociology of the family, anthropology of the family, family life education, education for childbirth, and education for parenthood. My own strategy for trying to contribute what I can towards the welfare of all beings, has been to try to improve what happens within families, particularly between parents and their young children. I take the basic idea from Confucius, that whatever happens inside the family unit, is a miniature version of the society-as-a-whole. Democracy begins at home. Literacy and healthy personality also begin at home. As Buddhists, we probably have a distinctive parenting style. So far as I know, our Buddhist way of parenting is not written down anywhere. Here is my attempt to describe the ideology underlying Buddhist parenting:

Our whole approach to parenting, first of all, is based on a few shared principles of Buddhism.

1. Every human being is precious and unique, carrying a never-to-be-repeated set of karmic influences, coming to him through his ancestral line, and family of origin.
2. Every human being has an inborn "Buddha-nature", or "potential to become a Buddha" in this lifetime. As parents, we try to draw out this Buddha-nature in every child, as the precious source of their lifelong aspiration, inspiration, creativity, and sense of direction. Our inborn Buddha-nature can become clouded and obscured from view, through poor parenting, abuse, neglect or excessive trauma such as living in a war zone.
3. Every human being also has a built-in "positive growth factor" that Shinran Shonin called "jinen hori" or, "made to become so by itself". This means that, just as an oak seed contains the complete inner knowledge of how to become a fully mature oak tree, so does each child contain the complete inner knowledge of how to be healthy and truly fulfilled, as a unique and productive individual.
4. As Buddhists, we have a deep sense of respect for nature, just the way it is. We seek to understand and harmonize with nature, rather than conquer or improve it. Therefore, children don't have to be beaten, silenced, or punished, to draw out their virtue. An infant or small child has just arrived from the Ocean of All-Compassionate Wisdom. As parents, we do not have to dominate our children "for their own good". We just have to guide them, as we would guide an ivy vine, trying to climb a wall.
5. Buddhism also stresses the ideal of non-violence, toward ourselves and others. In guiding our children, we seek to do it without being violent or abusive.