What are your unpopular parenting opinion?

[michellet86]

There is no right answer to all t he parenting chive we make daily. I'm interested to hear everyone's opinions

Mine is that you don't need to rush your kid to A&E for anything unless it's life, limb or loss of eye sight. A&Es are already packed with kids who don't need to be there

When DC1 was small I was at BF group and rhe health visitor was going around taking names for baby sign language. I said I didn't want to do it, thanks anyway. Another mum looked at me in almost abject horror and asked "but how will you know what your baby wants if he can't sign!?".

I think overthinking is definitely a thing nowadays.

My DD was in her own room from 8 weeks old and I didn’t have a baby monitor ever. If it was a restless night she co-slept but otherwise we both had a better rest that way. I’m a v light sleeper anyway and seemed in tune to noises. Her room was just down the hall and doors open.

Screens are fucking awful. Ruin their eyesight, affect their hormones, make them irritable and anti-social. I long for a solar flare to destroy them all!
I resist and resist their usage on my time, knowing their dad is a total phonehead and will be doing it with them loads due to a complete lack of imagination.

So many - here are just a few
Reins are not the work of the devil
Toddlers will potty train when they are ready (assuming no sn)
Ditto crawling, walking and talking
'No' is not abuse
The time to be a friend to your child is after you've been their parent, not before.

That kids don't need to be in bed by 7pm (maybe I'm just jealous because I never managed it with any of mine! they'd never ever fall asleep before 10-11pm even as toddlers. Then again they all love a lie-in so I feel blessed, as there's no way I'd be able to cope with an early riser [shudder]

That teenagers are utterly infantilised on this site

@Carouselfish do screens really affect hormones? Do you mean sleeping? Genuine question not snark.

This. The thought of policing my 16/17yo who has left school is grim.

My DM tried to do it with me. It ended extremely badly.

My most unpopular opinion is that gentle parenting is, almost always, a load of shite, used by people who are too lazy to enforce proper boundaries.

I don’t agree that you are the devil incarnate if you dare to charge your adult child a proportion of their wages towards their keep.

Baby swimming lessons are utterly pointless!!!

Totally agree with you. I saved a fortune by not starting formal lessons until both of mine could doggy paddle.

This x 10000000000000

If your living room is filled ceiling to floor with kids' toys, you're merely a tenant in the kids' house 😂

@WonderingWanda they are sooo expensive for what - some kind of changing room hell and miserable babies !

All this free range parenting that happens these days! FUUUUCK THAT. Kids are minors, they need a certain amount of discipline and guidance.

If you let your kid only eat pizza and sugary snacks at 10pm, and also don't discipline, then fuck yes they are going to have behavioural problems!

I'm not strict by any means but all kids need a bit of routine/structure, discipline and a reasonable healthy diet all washed down with our love and warmth.

Truth is a lot of people now cba and take the easy route and then wonder why they have a fucking barrage of behavioural problems to deal with. It really isn't rocket science. Our kids needs our guidance.

Love this

Your child's future isn't ruined if they go to a University outside the Russell Group.

Guidelines are as good as what we know today. Tomorrow they might change. Therefore, baring actual abuse, I’m very non-judgemental about others’ parenting choices and a big believer in go with your gut about a lot of things. I frequently have a wry smile at some of the things people on MN get completely bent out of shape about.

I have one opinion that I'm sure will be unpopular! Alcohol has no place in a family home.

Intelligence is not the most important trait a child can have and it is sad when that is the only thing a child is really praised for or taught to strive for.

It is helpful, but confidence, humor, patience, honesty, diligence and kindness etc are all just as, if not more, important.

The majority of children are of average intelligence and will grow up to be averagely intelligent adults and that is totally fine. Nobody likes boring, grumpy arseholes- no matter how many GCSEs they get.

Leaving babies to cry is the best and quickest way to make them sleep through the night.

The only choice you should give children for food is take it or leave it.

Diet doesn't caused neurodevelopmental conditions. There are clear differences in brain structure in neurodivergent brains and to get a diagnosis there are thresholds of impairment rhat must be met, this is not caused by nuggets or chips.

These threads always end up being massively ableist.

That you can't just talk to your DC about behaviour (particularly teenagers), you always have to have consequences and that is the only way to produce a well balanced member of society.