Thoughts on Parenting

My Dad was here for Thanksgiving and we were sitting watching TV. A commercial came on for a parenting hotline, I think it was from Girls Town/Boys Town... one of these, "Not sure how to handle this situation, call the hotline for parenting tips." My Dad slowly looks at me with this dumbfounded look and says, "Are parents these days that unsure of what to do, they need to call a HOTLINE for advice?!?!" My thoughts exactly, Dad.

I explained to Dad that there is all this advice out there, you could read yourself to death on the "proper" way to interact/discipline your child and it gets to a point you become confused because next week, you'll be out of touch with your kids, because you were using last week's advice. I think we have become a society of being so worried about doing the "right" thing for our kids, we have lost the ability to use common sense. I think about the Hubby's grandpa who has lived to be 94. His parents did not have a hotline to call regarding him. Our parents somehow survived childhood.... Its not that I don't think there have been some major knowledge gained in the areas of mental health/psychology. Stoicism is best left to the "Greatest Generation." I am all for feeling emotions, expressing them, and validating them. But seriously, a Hotline? Granted there are situations I would reach out for advice...sure I'm all about that. But this commercial was a discipline question. I know this will get flack, but they are KIDS. And by that I mean, there needs are pretty simple, keep them fed, love them, give them boundaries, keep them safe... the more and more needs they require is probably a result of needs we have programmed them to think they need. Really, how much can we overthink this all? And maybe that is where Dad was coming from... He had five kids, thirteen grandkids and one great grandbaby.... I don't think he can understand how we should need "experts" to tell us what to do with our kids... And I guess I see where he is coming from.