Cristina Odone

I am amother, a stepmother, the guardian of a teenage boy and the daughter of an extraordinary father whose story was turned into the Hollywood film, Lorenzo's Oil.

I am passionate about good parenting -- and why it matters.

The book I have written is about how parents don't need to beat themselves up about not being with their children every minute of the day -- they need to be present when it matters. There are seven key moments in children's lives when they are at their most receptive: welcome home, playing, reading, school report/exam results, comforting, mealtimes and rule-breaking.

Invest in these "magic moments" and you will draw the best qualities out of your children -- those qualities like honesty and self-disciline, grit and empathy -- that will determine not what they achieve but who they will become.