A perfect parent has never had a child.

A child can never have a perfect parent.

A parent can never have a perfect child.

So goes the reassuring advice from Kid Kontracts (www.aboutime.com), a website with a new spin on getting parents and children to co-operate. In the past five years, Kid Kontracts have received international recognition among parents, grandparents and counselling professionals as being an idea whose time has come.

Kid Kontracts are widely used by parents, grandparents, teachers, counsellors, clergy and social workers in Australia, Malaysia, the US and Canada

While the concept isn't new, the Kid Kontract Kit makes the process easier and promises "to virtually eliminate the power-struggle between children and parents." Each Kid Kontract Kit contains over 40 contracts and charts which deal with issues common to most families, such as bedtime, chores, homework, dating, vehicle operation and use of drugs and alcohol by teens.

Each kit contains detailed instructions on how to effectively use contracts as a communication tool. The parent (or carer) and the child talk about their feelings on a particular issue and decide together what the consequence of the behaviour will be. The contract is signed by the child and parent and the expectations are clearly laid out. Kid Kontracts are widely used by parents, grandparents, teachers, counsellors, clergy and social workers in Australia, Malaysia, the US and all across Canada. But Kid Kontracts were not designed to replace family therapy and professional counselling for children with deep psychological problems.