So many theories and books are out on the shelves that say a parent should do this or that with their child. Some are valid, some are just nonsense. Yet many new parents turn to the latest fad in child rearing because, as the saying goes, kids don’t come with instructions.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to understand what makes your child tick. It’s only natural as the first child to come along can make the parent feel like they’re clueless. But a parent needs to be asking themselves if they really need to follow the “next best thing in child rearing advice.”
Consider the fact that humanity has been raising young for thousands of years. A large majority of the offspring of people turn out to be just fine. Up until the 20th century, there was no such thing as child psychology. It took Freud being accepted into the mainstream for this category to even exist. And certainly books on parenting advice were printed in the 19th century, but they weren’t nearly as common as they are today.
Instead, mothers learned from their mothers and fathers learned from their fathers. Instinct goes a long way towards guiding the parent on how to raise their child. Do some thinking about it. A mother knows when a young baby is fussing for attention, food or changing, or just plain talking to settle themselves to sleep. Each of these scenarios is answered by instinct. The baby gets picked up and cuddled, changed and/or fed, or left alone so they can figure out how to fall asleep.
As the child ages, instinct still plays a strong role. Listen to what that little voice in the back of your head is saying. It’s usually giving sound advice on what and what not to do.
