Myths of Social Trends Parenting

1. Experts from society and in the media know more than you or I do about what’s best for our kids.

2. Children are born as a tabula rasa, or blank slate, without a core nature to guide their own development, and their parents and cultures take care of them.

3. Our job as parents is to engrave on the slate, to input the necessary training and information, to create a child with the necessary characteristics we hope will contribute to success in life.

4. In order to ful.ll the parent’s expectations, children’s daily experiences must be constantly packed with lessons and activities that will prepare them to excel in a scarcity-based view of a highly competitive world.

5. Children will not reach their success potential as adults unless they become alpha high achievers in all or most groups they get involved with.

6. Children should all learn to read (and do various other cognitive tasks) as soon as possible, it is hoped by the age of four, or they will have problems later in life.

7. The most successful adults are people who were, as children, extroverted and assertive.

8. Criticizing a child will most often damage her self-esteem.

9. Talking about feelings with your child (and getting the child to talk about his) is the most important thing you can do as a parent.

10. Don’t breastfeed, it’s bad for your baby; do breastfeed, it’s good for your baby; never sleep with your baby, always sleep with your baby. . . .