The article discusses the importance of allowing children to navigate challenges independently. It recounts personal experiences where the author's reaction influenced their son's response to falling and dealing with unkind classmates. By practicing restraint and encouraging self-sufficiency, parents can help children develop emotional resilience. The piece touches on the complexities of modern parenting, emphasizing that while the journey is fulfilling, it also presents significant mental health challenges, as highlighted by recent health advisories.
Learning that I could so powerfully influence his mental state was a revelation. Here was this human being who was counting on me to make sense of the world.
Instead of reacting, I paused. 'That sounds hard. What did you do?' This crystallized for me an important truth: Sometimes, the best thing a parent can do is nothing at all.
Parents of any age can conjure up the feeling they had when they first held their child and thought, Oh. Here you are, this person whom I'm in charge of.
In fact, a recent advisory from the surgeon general argues that parenting is hazardous to people's mental health, citing factors from the complexities of social media to worries about children's safety.
Collection
[
|
...
]