we were always going to a baseball game, going to play tennis or just outdoors. he was not strict. but when we messed up, his words of simply saying i'm disappointed in you, was devastating. it was like a thousand lashes and one month stuck in your room. so his means of child rearing were basically to set an example. >> being an example and setting standards for george bush was his role, barbara bush dealt with the day to day business of raising the family. >> i'm considered the meanest person in the world. >> the meanest? >> well, toughest. every one of the boys who gives a speech can't wait to needle their mother. i mean, like george w. in florida called me once, and jeb in the car, governor and president. and he says mom, don't watch the news tonight.