A Notre Dame psychology professor believes that what she calls “modern day parenting” is setting our children up for failure later in life. Darcia Narvaez‘s research has led her to write a book that tells us all how to raise healthy, well-adjusted children. Too bad Dr. Sears thought of it first.
From the South Bend Tribune:
Narvaez believes parenting practices like feeding babies infant formula, sleep training, and the isolation of babies in their own rooms can negatively impact their moral development.
Narvaez believes moms should opt for natural child birth, touch constantly in the first year and breastfeeding for several years.
“It’s the babies that are breastfed, the ones that are touched constantly, the ones that have responsive parents, they tend to be the ones that are more empathic, they care about other people more, and they have better social skills and they are better and have higher emotional intelligence and higher intelligence,” says Narvaez.
Hmm. Sounds familiar. Maybe it’s because these ideas are the basis for Attachment Parenting – everyone’s favorite tool for guilting mothers into believing they’re not spending enough quality time with their kids. Just kidding. Sort of. But seriously – the extended breastfeeding, the room sharing, the constant nurturing – what’s new about this study? I guess we’ll see when it comes out and launches yet another “mom war.”
“This is going against the tide. Because people don’t want to hear it,” says Narvaez, “but I am fiercely for babies. I am a baby advocate. Sometimes I step on toes.” I hate to break it to you lady, but telling women how to raise their children is not a new practice. Mother-in-laws have been doing it since the beginning of time. Do we really need another study damning formula-feeding and – gasp – parents who have the nerve to put their children in their own rooms?
Yawn.
(photo: janoon028/ Shutterstock.com)
