Strollerderby : service

The Guy's Kind of a Jerk, But He's Got a Point

Amy Kuras — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 14:59:00 GMT

It’s weird when you consider someone an utter tool – and yet kind of agree with something he has to say. Such is the case with this John Rosemond column, where he essentially calls 1960s-style parenting the root of all ills.

He goes on to say that 1960s parents (which, let's just acknowledge, is code for liberals and I hardly think my political tribe ruined parenting) were stupid enough to believe people like him, mental health professionals, versus the wisdom of their elders. Thus, they bought, hook line and sinker, what the mental health professionals were selling: the notion that self-esteem should be the end goal for all parenting.

Okay, Mr. Rosemond, first let me just suggest that just maybe saying that all people like you are full of hooey is maybe not the best way to begin an argument. But I have to agree with you about the culture of self-esteem. What it’s turned into are kids who are so used to being celebrated for anything, for just getting out of bed, that they don’t know how to handle a world that doesn’t find them all that special. It’s the classic “everyone gets a trophy” mentality.

My first job was at a newspaper covering a small, affluent community and the worst part of the job wasn’t the boredom or the many petty intrigues of small-town politics – it was the parents, who genuinely seemed to think we should be as invested in boosting their kids’ self esteem as they were and would request – okay, demand – stories about the most insignificant things their kids did, not to mention threaten us if we reported on their little darlings being less than perfect.

And high self-esteem hardly makes for a successful person – as a matter of fact, most people in maximum security prisons have very high self-regard.

Rosemond makes the point that previous generations taught their children to respect other people and seek to serve. I would highly disagree with that assertion, as I don’t notice, say, baby boomers being an especially other-directed bunch to say the least. But I would agree that teaching children respect for others and the desire to serve might just turn them into the kind of people who actually have earned high self-esteem.

They Say: Parents Know Nothing About Babies

Adrienne Martini — Sun, 04 May 2008 21:00:00 GMT

Pop Quiz, Hotshot:

1) Should a 1-year-old child be able to tell between right from wrong?

2) Should a 1-year-old child be ready to begin toilet-training?

These questions were part of a survey given by researchers to 10,000 U.S. parents of 9 month olds. On the 11 item quiz, one-third of those asked couldn't answer four questions correctly.

And their inability didn't seem to be related to mere testing anxiety. These parents had no idea what they could realistically expect from their children. This ignorance isn't without harm. Researchers conclude that low parenting knowledge of what babies can actually do is having a negative impact on how parents behave with their kids.

In case you were wondering, both questions have the same answer: No.

They Say: Married Mothers are Floozies

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Fri, 02 May 2008 15:26:00 GMT

A recent Cookie Magazine/AOL survey found that over 30% of moms have had an affair since having children and over 50% have seriously considered extra-marital activities.

The three men women are most likely to fantasize about include...

George Clooney, Barack Obama, and Tom Brady (the latter indicates there's no accounting for taste).

Also interesting: while some moms would rather have sex than lose 10 pounds (29%), many women practice pity sex (69%), and over 60% say sex ranks at the bottom of their priority list.

Nearly 50% of the 30,000 women polled indicated that they suspected their husbands of either cheating currently or in the past.

Whatever happens to married couples after they have children, it's clear that some people turn to "outside help" when the going gets too tough.

They Say: Never Give Drugs to Your Kids

Adrienne Martini — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:30:00 GMT

I like a good list as much as the next parent. Give me a couple of bullet points and I'm yours forever. However, I'm thinking this recent Parentcenter list might have missed the point.

I know that their motives were pure when collecting the Seven Medicines You Shouldn't Give Your Child. Every sane parent wants to avoid harming their offspring with meds. And, in case you haven't been paying attention, it's good to know that aspirin is still bad, as are adult meds, cough and cold meds, and expired meds. A little obvious, maybe, but still good to reinforce.

Here's the rub, however. Everything that I could think of giving to my child that hasn't been prescribed by a doctor, appears to be on this list. The sole exception might be acetaminophen. So what drugs *should* I give my child if he or she has some minor medical incident? Are my only options either a) wait it out or b) rush to the pediatrician no matter what?

Photo credit: www.pharmaceutical-technology.com