Ambitious Parents, Mellow Children

Ron Mattocks, a former real-estate sales executive and Army captain, is a Type A personality. He is ambitious, drives himself to achieve and usually succeeds.

One job that really tests his limits, though, is raising two laid-back Type B kids.

When his stepdaughter Avery, 8 years old, or his son Sawyer, 7, start to daydream and wander away from a chore, Mr. Mattocks occasionally erupts. "The first thing out of my mouth is, 'What the hell are you doing?' " he says.

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