Sandra Scarr, a developmental psychologist, published a
study in the early 90s that goes against current parenting paradigms. Scarr stated in the study that it doesn’t
matter how good of a parent you are to your kid, your kid will probably end up
being a normal child. Scarr’s study went
against modern parenting philosophy, and that philosophy believed that the more
time you spend with your kid, the more exceptional the child will be. Scarr did also show that as long as you give
the child love and care, the child will be normal, versus a child who is abused
and neglected, that child will likely develop delinquent behaviors.
In order to show that the amount of time you spend with your
child eventually has diminishing returns, you have to design a case or
longitudinal study to show these diminishing returns. Development is a combination of genetics,
love, societal, and environmental factors.
Parents can control each of the elements stated previously to an extent,
but they don’t have total control over every aspect of development.
I didn’t get to have a stellar childhood. It was often traumatic and it wasn’t
pleasant. I do believe that Scarr’s
notion that parents can do only so much, she is probably right. If we believe that parents can create
superchildren, then our nation should have countless superchildren. Instead we have a nation that struggles in
math, science, and reading. We’re good
at producing normal children, parents producing superchildren is just a myth.
It just reminds me of the scene in Good Will Hunting.
The amount of time parents spend with their children doesn't necessarily mean the time spent is "quality time" with the children. One can be a stay-at-home parent and publicize their "super parent" status. While they tweet about their parenting accomplishments, the kids are cooped in their room gamin' it up on COD.
ReplyDeleteI agree that parents can only do so much to help their children become superior adults. Having a less than perfect childhood can produce delinquent children or children who wish to create a better life for themselves.
The amount of time parents spend with their children doesn't necessarily mean the time spent is "quality time" with the children. One can be a stay-at-home parent and publicize their "super parent" status. While they tweet about their parenting accomplishments, the kids are cooped in their room gamin' it up on COD.
ReplyDeleteI agree that parents can only do so much to help their children become superior adults. Having a less than perfect childhood can produce delinquent children or children who wish to create a better life for themselves.