Parents Take Note: Three Common Parenting Pitfalls to Avoid (Public Health Network)
Being highly educated or experienced in life and work doesn't automatically make someone great at raising children. Parenting requires careful attention, time, energy, and patience. Raising a child demands genuine effort. Without understanding basic parenting knowledge, you may inevitably encounter various challenges along the way.
I. Common Parenting Misconceptions
1. Misconception 1: Overly Focusing on Your Child
Many parents today exhibit excessive attention and concern toward their children. While this stems from parental love, and monitoring a child's growth is appropriate, excessive focus and concern may not benefit the child's psychological development.Children may not appreciate this level of attention, potentially developing resentment. Moreover, parents who over-focus on their child not only sacrifice significant time and energy but also hinder the child's natural growth.
2. Misconception Two: Forbidding Children to Cry or Throw Tantrums
Some parents immediately scold or use various methods to stop their child from crying or throwing tantrums—whether through deception or force. Regardless of the approach, such actions are detrimental to the child's development and education.Crying is a natural part of infancy and early childhood. Parents cannot completely suppress a child's tears, as doing so may cause pent-up frustration and unresolved distress, potentially leading to illness. Moreover, when a child's language skills are still developing, crying is often simply a way to communicate needs—not unreasonable tantrums. Therefore, parents should first seek to understand the underlying cause.
3. Misconception Three: Putting the Child First
In some families, once a child is born, everyone places the child above all else. Everyone revolves around the child day and night, with the child's happiness or unhappiness dictating the adults' emotional state. However, this approach is not appropriate.On one hand, prioritizing the child excessively may lead to spoiled behavior from an early age, potentially fostering an arrogant personality later in life. On the other hand, constantly placing the child first can exacerbate family conflicts and directly strain the marital relationship.First, parents must learn to understand their child—including recognizing changes in the child and the reasons behind them. Only by promptly grasping physical, psychological, and emotional shifts can parents provide better care. Second, parents should respect and be tolerant of their child, avoiding coercion or imposing unrealistically high standards. Finally, spending quality time with the child is crucial, greatly benefiting both psychological and physical development.