My two boys are now vastly different from what they were just one year ago. They are growing so fast even their personalities keep on changing. I find that what worked for them one year ago does not work anymore today. I am, therefore, not surprised as Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman demolish accepted truths about parenting simply by examining the scientific evidence. Truths such as the power of self esteem in ensuring success. Anyone who watches American Idol will see that indiscriminate praise has not led to a generation of successful Americans, but a generation who grew up with an extreme sense of entitlement but little understanding of the value of hard work.
Bronson and Merryman also go on to cast doubts on the value of screening for so called gifted children at an early age with many "gifted" children turning out not so gifted after all. And if teaching children a foreign language by exposing them to Baby Einstein videos sounds like it's too easy, that's because it's not that easy.
Destroying parenting myths does not mean Bronson and Merryman have arrived at new certainties. If anything, this book only underscores how much we do not know about parenting. My key takeaway is the reminder to be humble about the extent to which I can control my children's lives through excessive parenting. I can provide them a platform on which to perform through emotional and financial support, but what they ultimately choose to do on that stage can never be predicted by science.
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