PARENTING ADVICE? MAYBE.
Published On 11-22-2009 , 4:51 PM
If my usual parenting advice is what readers are looking for, this column may not quite hit the mark. Well, maybe some insights into the mighty responsibility of raising young'uns:
As my married daughter and parent of two sons recently said during a telephone conversation that hit on inappropriate childhood behavior - attitudes never straightened out that morph into inappropriate adult lifestyles - "Some kids are just left to grow and others get raised."
I call her comments insights. I don't think of them as advice because what she's laid down doesn't actually supply the one, two, three of how to raise kids.
I don't suspect too many folks think of me as a Dear Abby. If called anything, the name game would probably put me closer to "That Shirlee."
Jen and Barb invited me to fill their TV guest spot on "The Jen and Barb Show" to provide advice on children's bedtime.
They were warned by me that I wasn't really what they wanted. They insisted. When all was said and done, there were no feelings of "Dear"; "That Shirlee" was most surely the final result.
No, I'm not too hard on myself. I saw the final version of the show and most of me was left on the edit room floor.
Does this column dispense advice or does it provide a common-sense approach to raising children instead of letting them just grow on their own?
Such was the problem with the "How to Get Your Kids To Bed" episode.
A philosophical common-sense approach to raising children encompasses bedtime, health, education, honesty, discipline and everything else associated with producing children who become responsible adults.
Not enough parents are willing to stop to make an honest assessment of their own rules and recognize it isn't someone else's advice that's needed.
Instead, what's necessary is for them to establish their very own concrete development plan.
Back in the day, parents were advised to let their babies cry. Then a complete turnaround from the so-called experts said never just let the baby cry.
What to do when depending upon the so-called parenting experts?
School officials advise parents to help Julio and Johnny with their schoolwork and to be involved with the classroom teacher. Health officials advise regular trips to the pediatrician and to make sure Tamika and Rosella have their immunizations.
This is clearly advice based on sound research.
Neither Jen nor Barb will be able to brand me responsible when, in later years, their or their viewers offprings' therapists tie the prevailing troublesome mental health issues to bedtime advice provided by "That Shirlee."
Bedtime? Establish one and stick to it. Maybe my kind of talk is just plain ol’ common sense that some people want to call advice.
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