thedoc

I will say that I mostly disagree with the OP, I mostly agree with 'Willravel', but I want to focus on this point. Simply stated 'One size does NOT fit all'. Each child is an individual and needs to be treated as such. I was a child with an older brother, I raised 3 children, I have 7 grandchildren, 3 of whom I am directly involved in parenting. I also taught in the public schools for 7 years which gives a unique perspective on parenting and children. Each of my children were different and I treated each differently as necessary. Each child had different needs so each received different care. One thing was the same, I encouraged each to pursue their own interests as much as possable, and those interests were quite varried. They have all matured nicely in spite of my screw-ups along the way. I have heard parents of adult children patting themselves on the back saying 'Our children turned out good and happy, we must have been good parents' unfortunatly most children who do well, do so in spite of their parents. The simple fact is children must be allowed to be children and grow up in their own time. Children are NOT just small adults to be treated as such and given responsabilities beyond their capabilities, without consequences later in life.