We often hear people talk about the 'science of parenting' and new or prospective parents are frequently keen to learn as much as they can about parenting, in much the same way as they would learn about the science of physics or chemistry. But is there really such a things as parenting science?
We often talk about the science of parenting but is there such a things as parenting science?
Science in simple terms is the acquisition and organization of knowledge through research and can be applied to any field you care to mention. As a result, there's no reason why we should not be able to research the subject of parenting and produce a scientific textbook on the subject. But is it really quite as simple as that?
Well the answer is that it is possible to produce a guide to the science of parenting and such a guide can serve as an excellent starting point to those who are new to parenthood. However, any such guide can only ever cover the basics of parenting and will certainly not serve as a 'step-by-step' parenting action plan which can be applied in any situation.
The problem of course is that no two children are alike and no two parents are the same. Family situations are also very different with children being raised as an only child or within a family of ten children, with two working parents or both parents without employment, with a close extended family of grandparents, aunts and uncles or with no extended family at all. The range of possible situations is almost endless.
Society itself will also have a marked effect on the way in which we parent our children. Although it may be thought that raising a child should be the same the world over this is certainly not the case and, while many of the skills needed will be the same, raising a family as an American in the United States is very different from raising a family as a Thai in Thailand. That is not to say that one is easier or better than the other, but simply that there are significant differences.
There are people who profess to be experts in raising children and many of them have written books on the subject. In reality however there is no such thing as an 'expert' in the science of parenting and while many of the books published are excellent and can provide you with extremely valuable food for thought, at the end of the day, you must take the general points being made and then adapt them to your own particular circumstances.
Simply taking a so-called 'rule of parenting' and trying to apply it will often result in failure because it simply won't work for you, for your situation or for your child. So, when it comes to the science of parenting you can certainly learn a great deal from the body of knowledge acquired over the years by many thousands of parents, but you will need to take the lessons learned and then adapt them to suit your own situation and needs.
Successful Golf Practice Is An Art That Novice Golfers Need To Master
A key feature of every successful golfer's routine is practice but far too many novice golfers simply do not know what to practice or how to go about it.
Golfing Tips - Setting Yourself Up For The Masterful Pitch Shot
The pitch shot, as well as its variations such as the pitch and run or bump and run shot, is an extremely important shot and one that you must learn to master if you wish to be able to play a good short game.
If You Are Not Happy Playing Golf When The Wind Is Blowing Then Please Read On
If you run for the protection of the clubhouse when the wind picks up and the rain begins then there is an alternative which you just might find is great fun.
