Parenting advice can be a real rollercoaster ride, right? I learned the hard way that soliciting advice is like rolling out the welcome mat for an avalanche of unsolicited opinions.
Take, for example, my lovely conversation with my mother-in-law. “Hey, can you share your secrets for getting toddlers to sleep?” I thought I was opening the door to a treasure trove of wisdom. Instead, I got a full lecture on everything from my child’s diet to discipline methods, and even a critique on his hairstyle. Well, thanks for that!
So, yeah, advice isn’t my favorite. But you know what’s even worse? Those ridiculous pseudo-scientific studies that try to pass as parenting tips.
Seriously, go ahead and check any news website—you’ll find a study on parenting lurking somewhere on the front page. In just the past few months, I’ve learned that:
- Watching TV can damage your child’s self-esteem,
- Except if your child happens to be a white boy, in which case it’s like a self-esteem booster.
- And while we’re at it, self-esteem is super important, but don’t overdo it, or you might end up raising a narcissist.
Oh, and did I mention the rise of narcissism is paralleling the obesity epidemic in this country? It’s quite a feat, really, especially considering that obesity seems almost inevitable if your kid is glued to the TV. But hey, if you’re a white boy, it’s all good—he’ll have high self-esteem to balance out any extra pounds he might be carrying.
Confused yet? Frustrated? Trust me, I’m right there with you! If I read one more parenting study, I might just lose it!
Who funds these studies anyway? Probably a bunch of people who have never changed a diaper! I can only imagine the first mother, back in the caveman days, desperately trying to soothe her screaming baby, while also cursing the rocky ground where she tried to lay him down. She probably stepped outside, howled at the moon from sheer exhaustion, and didn’t have a care about the latest parenting study!
Throughout history, parents have been raising kids without all this supposed “expert” insight. So, to those tiny (and poorly designed) studies funded by who-knows-what and conducted by undergrads looking for a name, I say: enough already!
And media, can we please stop glorifying this nonsense? You’re not helping anyone.
In summary, parenting is hard enough without the constant barrage of conflicting advice and dubious studies. We all need to take a breather and remember that there’s no singular “right” way to raise a child.
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